Kovacs re-signs with Mallards

MOLINE, Ill. – The Quad City Mallard23s have re-signed forward Justin Kovacs for the 2017-18 season.

The Mallards are the ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights and the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves.

Kovacs, 25, last season led the Mallards in assists (40) and finished tied for the team lead in points (60). The native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. scored 20 goals while posting a plus/minus rating of +16 in 68 games last year.

Kovacs became the first Mallard to record four points in a single ECHL game when he scored once and collected three assists in the Mallards’ 8-7 loss to the Indy Fuel March 19 in Indianapolis.

Kovacs broke into professional hockey with the Kalamazoo Wings at the end of the 2014-15 season, notching five points (1g-4a) in eight games before producing 29 points (6g-23a) in 63 games for the Wings the following year in his first full campaign.

He turned pro after scoring 76 points (23g-53a) in 129 games over four seasons at Western Michigan University. As a freshman, he helped the Broncos to the first Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title in the program’s history and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Before arriving at Western Michigan, Kovacs spent two seasons in the junior ranks with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League.