Quad City Mallards

Last updated
Quad City Mallards
Quad City Mallards logo.svg
City Moline, Illinois
League IHL (2009–2010)
CHL (2010–2014)
ECHL (2014–2018)
Founded2009 (In the IHL)
Home arena TaxSlayer Center
ColorsBlack, green, orange, white
    
Franchise history
2009–2018Quad City Mallards

The Quad City Mallards were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa that competed in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. [1] They were named after the Mallards team that played in the United Hockey League from 1995 to 2007, this Mallards franchise marked their debut in 2009 in the International Hockey League. [2] The Mallards played their home games at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.

Contents

The Mallards ceased operations at the conclusion of the 2017–18 ECHL season. [3] The Mallards were replaced by the Quad City Storm of the Southern Professional Hockey League the following season.

History

The original Mallards franchise played in the Quad Cities from the 1995–96 season through the 2006–07 season. Their first two seasons were played in the Colonial Hockey League, which was renamed the United Hockey League (UHL) in 1997. The Mallards were an overwhelming success in their first few years, with attendance figures that regularly topped 6,000 per game. Attendance peaked in the 1997–98 season at over 8,500 fans per game, and while it declined, average attendance remained over 6,000 fans per game through the 2001–02 season. It continued to drop until it reached a low of 3,120 fans per game in the Mallards' final UHL season in 2006–07.

In 2009, a new ownership group, headed by Eric Karls, brought the Mallards name back after two seasons.

On May 11, 2011, the Mallards originally ceased operations due to a lack of funding, but almost a month later, Club 9 Sports, a consortium between Chicago-based investment bank Prometheus Capital Partners, LLC, management and consulting firm Tobacco Road Capitalists and sports management and marketing firm ScheerSports, Inc. (headed by former National Basketball Association general manager Carl Scheer) bought the team from former owner Eric Karls and announced the team would return for the 2011–12 Central Hockey League season. [4]

The franchise, as well as the entire CHL, ran into financial difficulties during the 2012–13 season. The entire league was then operated by the T&M Group of Companies, the company that owns Boston Pizza. The Mallards' ownership group, T&M Management Services, was headed by Jordan Melville, son of Boston Pizza founder George Melville. [5] At the end of the season, Melville's organization obtained the Mallards' franchise in June 2013. [6] On August 27, 2013, a new affiliation agreement was announced between the National Hockey League Minnesota Wild, its American Hockey League affiliate Iowa Wild, and the Mallards.

On October 7, 2014, soon before the 2014–15 Central Hockey League season was set to begin, it was announced that the Central Hockey League ceased operations and the Mallards, along with the Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder, were all approved the expansion membership application into the ECHL for the 2014–15 season. [7] [1]

In 2017, the Mallards signed a multi-year affiliation with the NHL expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights, and their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, for the 2017–18 season ending their four-year affiliation with the Wild. [8]

However, the Mallards would only play one season with the Golden Knights' affiliation as the team would cease operations. Owner Jordan Melville stated he was folding the team due to losing the passion for operating the team and losing about US$4 million since he became the sole owner in 2013. [3] A new ownership group obtained a team in the Southern Professional Hockey League called the Quad City Storm to replace the Mallards at the TaxSlayer Center for the 2018–19 season. [9]

Season-by-season records

Regular seasonPlayoffs
LeagueSeasonGPWLOTLSOLPtsGFGAStandingYear1st round2nd round3rd roundFinals
IHL 2009–10 76293548702072636th of 7, IHL 2010 —Did not qualify
CHL 2010–11 6634311—691861827th of 9, Turner 2011 L, 1–3, COL ———
2011–12 6637272—762302015th of 7, Turner 2012 —Did not qualify
2012–13 6634266—742192016th of 10, CHL 2013 —L, 1–4, FTW ——
2013–14 66332310—762191985th of 10, CHL 2014 —W, 4–3, RC L, 2–4, ALN —
ECHL 2014–15 72372843812051863rd of 6, Central 2015 L, 3–4, RC ———
2015–16 72372942802032033rd of 5, Midwest 2016 L, 0–4, MO ———
2016–17 72402822842322203rd of 7, Central 2017 L, 1–4, FW ———
2017–18 72254241551962957th of 7, Central 2018 Did not qualify

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ECHL</span> Ice hockey league in North America

The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Hockey League</span> North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league

The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Hockey League</span> 1991–2010 North American ice hockey league

The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the United States and Canada. The league was headquartered in Rochester, Michigan, and, in its last year, consisted of seven teams. It folded in 2010, with most of its teams joining the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League teams still operating in 2014 were then added to ECHL. The only former CoHL/UHL/IHL teams still active as of 2022 are the Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne Komets</span> Professional minor league ice hockey team in Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League (CHL), the original International Hockey League (IHL), and the second International Hockey League (UHL/IHL). Founded in the original IHL They have won four post-season championship titles in the original IHL in 1963, 1965, 1973, and 1993, four in the UHL/second IHL in 2003, 2008, 2009, and 2010, one in the CHL in 2012, and one in the ECHL in 2021. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Original Six teams of the NHL and the Hershey Bears of the AHL have played continuously in the same city with the same name longer than the Komets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Thunder</span> Professional minor league ice hockey team in Wichita, Kansas

The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in the Britt Brown Arena located in the northern Wichita suburb of Park City. In January 2010, the team began playing its home games at the newly built Intrust Bank Arena. The Thunder are currently the ECHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Oilers</span> American ice hockey team

The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa Oilers name was shared with Tulsa's former minor-league baseball team that pre-dated the Tulsa Drillers. To reduce confusion in local news reporting, the hockey team was often called the "Ice Oilers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Eagles</span> American Hockey League team in Loveland, Colorado

The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980–2001)</span> American former ice hockey team

The Dubuque Fighting Saints were a Tier I junior ice hockey team that played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 1980 to 2001. The team moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to become the Tulsa Crude in 2001 citing low attendance and rising costs. A new team would use the same name when Dubuque was granted an expansion franchise in the USHL in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad City Flames</span> Ice hockey team in Moline, Illinois

The Quad City Flames was an American professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 2007 to 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, serving as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames. The move to the Quad Cities was confirmed on May 24, 2007. As a result, the arena's previous hockey tenant, the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League ceased operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapid City Rush</span> American ice hockey team

The Rapid City Rush are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Rapid City, South Dakota, and play their home games at The Monument. The Rush are currently a minor affiliate of the Calgary Flames NHL franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City Mavericks</span> Professional minor league ice hockey team in Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City Mavericks are an ice hockey team in the ECHL. Founded in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks of the CHL, the team plays in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, at the Cable Dahmer Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Americans</span> Minor professional ice hockey team

The Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009 in the Central Hockey League (CHL) where they played for five seasons, winning the Ray Miron President's Cup twice. The CHL folded in 2014 and the ECHL accepted the remaining CHL teams as members for the 2014–15 season. In their first two seasons in the ECHL, Allen advanced to the Kelly Cup finals, winning the championship in both years. The team is led by President Jonny Mydra and head coach/general manager Chad Costello. Currently, the Americans are affiliated with the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators and the American Hockey League's Belleville Senators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evansville IceMen</span> Ice hockey team in Evansville, Indiana

The Evansville IceMen were a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL in Evansville, Indiana. The franchise was originally a member of the United Hockey League before it merged into the Central Hockey League in 2010. The franchise has won four post-season championship titles in the UHL in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005. The franchise played one season at Swonder Ice Arena before moving to the Ford Center beginning in the 2011–12 season.

The St. Charles Chill was a minor league ice hockey team and member of the Central Hockey League that began play during the 2013–14 season on October 19, 2013 as the affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves. Based in St. Charles, Missouri, the Chill played its home games at the Family Arena.

The 2012–13 CHL season was the 21st season of the Central Hockey League (CHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brampton Beast</span> Defunct Canadian minor-league professional ice hockey team

The Brampton Beast were a professional ice hockey team based in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. The team originally played in the Central Hockey League for one year during the 2013–14 season prior to the league's folding before joining the ECHL from 2014 to 2020. The Beast played their home games at the CAA Centre. The team was one of only two ECHL members located in Canada, along with the Newfoundland Growlers, from 2018 to 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beast voluntarily suspended operations through at least the 2020–21 ECHL season, then ceased operations entirely.

The 2014–15 ECHL season was the 27th season of the ECHL. The regular season schedule ran from October 17, 2014, to April 11, 2015, with the Kelly Cup playoffs following. Twenty-eight teams in 20 states and one Canadian province each played a 72-game schedule. Ten days prior to the start of the season, the league was significantly expanded on October 7, 2014, after the ECHL had accepted the Central Hockey League's remaining seven teams as members for the 2014–15 season.

The 2018–19 ECHL season was the 31st season of the ECHL. The regular season was scheduled to run from October 12, 2018, to April 7, 2019, with the Kelly Cup playoffs to follow. Twenty-seven teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces each play a 72-game schedule. The Kelly Cup was won by the Newfoundland Growlers in their inaugural season over the Toledo Walleye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad City Storm</span> American ice hockey team

The Quad City Storm is a professional minor league hockey team to begin play in the 2018–19 season as a member of the SPHL. The team is based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa, with home games at the Vibrant Arena at The MARK in Moline, Illinois. The team replaced the ECHL's Quad City Mallards after the ownership ceased operations of the team in 2018. Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Storm was one of several SPHL teams to not participate in the 2020–21 season.

References

  1. 1 2 "ECHL Accepts Seven Members". ECHL . October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Central Hockey League Announces Conference Alignment for 2010-11". Central Hockey League . Archived from the original on January 18, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Metcalf, Bobby (March 13, 2018). "Quad-City Mallards to cease operations at end of season". Quad-City Times . Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ DeVrieze, Craig (June 11, 2011). "Chicago-based group saves Q-C Mallards". Quad-City Times . Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Boston Pizza profile: George Melville" (PDF). Boston Pizza . Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Boston Pizza takes over the Mallards". Quad-City Times . June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  7. ↑ "CHL Clubs Join ECHL for 2014-15 Season". Central Hockey League . October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Golden Knights And Quad City Mallards Enter Into ECHL Affiliation". Vegas Golden Knights . June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  9. ↑ "New hockey team coming to QC is part of Southern Professional Hockey League". WQAD-TV . May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.