With reports swirling that a Midwest-based ECHL franchise is on the block, owners of the Quad City Mallards insist that the team is not for sale.
Listings from The Sports Advisory Group indicate that multiple ECHL teams are up for grabs, including two in the Midwest. In both cases, the teams are described as being “in fantastic hockey markets,” which covers a fairly broad range of ECHL squads.
To this point the Fort Wayne Komets have denied being for sale, as have the Mallards. The Mallards were a part of the Central Hockey League before it folded, and became one of seven teams from that circuit to move into the ECHL before the 2014-2015 season.
Attendance for the Mallards has steadily risen over the last few seasons, and team president Bob McNamara says that the current ownership sees potential for the franchise to grow. More from the Quad-City Times:
Though the franchise has seen its ups and downs, McNamara said there’s a lot of work being put in during the offseason to celebrate the 20 years of Mallards hockey when the season starts in October.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, we’re in the middle of a lot of different things and planning for it,” he said. “It’s a big year for us and we’ve got some different things we’re going to try this year.”
