Quad City Mallards defenseman Nicholas Rioux has been signed to a professional tryout agreement by the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, the Mallards announced today.
 
Rioux, 28, heads to the AHL for the third time this season.  The 6’ 1”, 205-pound Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, native has played three games for the Wild this season after skating in eight games for Iowa last year.  Rioux has scored three goals and added 19 assists for 22 points while recording a plus/minus rating of +10 in 53 games with the Mallards this season.  

Rioux’s is the eleventh AHL call-up for a Mallard this season.

Rioux finished eighth among Central Hockey League defensemen in assists (27) last year while also scoring five times to total 32 points in 58 games with the Mallards.  He posted a plus/minus rating of +16.
 
Rioux joined the Mallards after scoring seven goals and registering 27 points with a plus/minus of +3 for the CHL’s Bloomington Blaze in 2012-13.  The durable Rioux played in each of the Blaze’s 66 regular season games and missed just a single game over his first two professional campaigns.
 
Rioux first played under Mallard coach Terry Ruskowski as a rookie with the CHL’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in 2011-12.  Rioux scored five times, produced 21 points and turned in a plus/minus of +5 in his first professional season.
 
Rioux turned pro after a three-year college career at St. Cloud State during which he totaled three goals and four assists in 26 games.  Rioux played two seasons of junior hockey in the British Columbia League- with the Quesnel Millionaires and Prince George Spruce Kings- before heading to St. Cloud.
 
The Mallards return to action tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. against the Missouri Mavericks on home ice.  Fans can purchase four tickets to each Mallards Wednesday home game this season for just $20.  In addition, after Wednesday's game, fans can join the Mallards at T.G.I. Friday’s on River Drive in Moline- adjacent to the iWireless Center- for a postgame party.
 
Tickets for all remaining Mallards regular season home games- including tomorrow night’s contest- are on sale now at the iWireless Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.  Tickets are available for $10, $16, $20 and $28.