Goaltender Motte, forward Gadoury sign with Mallards

MOLINE, Ill. – The Quad City Mallards have signed goaltender C.J. Motte and forward Nelson Gadoury for the 2016-17 season.

The Mallards are the ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild.

Motte, 24, went 15-22-2 with a 2.83 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 42 games with the Elmira Jackals last season.

Motte broke into professional hockey with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, for whom he played four games and posted a 1-2-1 record, a 2.49 goals against average and a .917 save percentage late in the 2014-15 season.

Motte turned pro after four standout seasons at Ferris State University. In 2014-15, the St. Clair, Mich. native became the first goaltender in school history to serve as team captain. He set Ferris State records for most career wins and shutouts (15) while going 66-49-12 with a 2.13 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in 127 collegiate games.

Motte not only earned All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association honors in both his junior (first team) and senior (third team) years but was also one of 10 finalists for the 2014 Hobey Baker Award. As a senior, Motte finished second in the nation in minutes played (2435:33) and tied for sixth in shutouts (5) after leading Division I netminders in both wins (28) and minutes (2431:06) and also finishing tied for sixth in shutouts (5) in his junior year.

Motte and the Bulldogs won regular season conference titles and earned NCAA tournament bids in both 2011-12 and 2013-14 and in 2012 reached the national title game.

A three-year stint in the junior ranks preceded Motte’s college career. Motte spent two seasons with the United States Hockey League’s Waterloo Black Hawks after a single campaign with the North American Hockey League’s Traverse City North Stars.

Gadoury, 21, scored 26 goals and added 40 assists for 66 points in 48 games with the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League last season. The Calahoo, Alberta, native also picked up 149 penalty minutes.

Gadoury totaled 216 points (85g-131a) along with 711 penalty minutes in 241 career AJHL games over five seasons. He averaged better than a point-per-game each of the last two years. In 2014-15 he recorded 48 points (22g-26a) in 39 games as the Kodiaks claimed the AJHL’s South Division title. Gadoury also helped the Kodiaks to five straight winning seasons and five successive playoff appearances.