MOLINE, Ill. (March 13, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards' Ty Rimmer has been named one of five finalists for the Central Hockey League Most Outstanding Goaltender award while the Mallards' Thomas Frazee has been named a finalist for the CHL's Rookie of the Year award and Quad City's Nicholas Rioux has been selected as a finalist for the league's Most Outstanding Defenseman honor, the Mallards announced today in conjunction with the CHL.
Rimmer, a 21-year old rookie, has gone 17-11-4 in 34 games this season and is tied for third in the league in shutouts (3), ranks sixth in goals against average (2.76) and save percentage (.910) and ranks seventh in wins. The 6' 1", 170-pound Edmonton native is in the midst of a four game winning streak and has gone 7-1-0 in his last ten games.
Rimmer played three American Hockey League games for the Oklahoma City Barons in December, going 1-0-1 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .930 save percentage during his AHL call-up. Rimmer was also named CHL Rookie of the Month for December.
In preseason, Rimmer participated in not only the Barons' training camp but also the camp of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers.
Rimmer got his first taste of professional hockey last spring when he played one game for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs after completing his junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League. Rimmer last season led the WHL in minutes played (3,836) and total saves (2,106) while posting 3.19 goals against average, a .912 save percentage, a record of 24-30-10 and one shutout in 65 games with the Hurricanes.
The 2011-12 campaign was especially successful for Rimmer, who earned WHL First Team All-Star honors after leading the league in goals against average (2.43) and save percentage (.922), finishing tied for first in shutouts (5) and finishing tied for eighth in wins while going 31-12-1 in 46 games for the Tri-City Americans. His standout efforts helped propel the Americans to the United States Division title.
Over three-plus Western League seasons- during which he also played for the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince George Cougars in addition to the Americans and Hurricanes- Rimmer went 74-65-14 in 159 games and turned in a 3.01 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and ten shutouts. Before becoming a WHL workhorse, Rimmer spent parts of two seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the St. Albert Steel and Bonnyville Pontiacs.
Among CHL rookies, the 23-year old Frazee is tied for third in points (37), ranks fourth in goals (18) and ranks sixth in assists (19). Frazee, who has turned in a plus/minus rating of +8 in 49 games, also ranks third in the overall in shorthanded goals (3). The 6' 3", 210-pound North Vancouver product was named CHL Rookie of the Month for November.
Frazee last year scored seven goals and totaled 22 points in 16 games for Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Frazee first arrived at Lakehead midway through the 2011-12 season, a campaign Frazee began with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors. Frazee scored once and picked up three assists in 13 games as a Condor before making the move to the university ranks.
Frazee spent five-plus seasons in the major junior Western Hockey League, skating for the Portland Winter Hawks, Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors, Regina Pats and Kamloops Blazers between 2006 and 2011. Frazee's final junior campaign was his most productive. He scored 31 goals and notched 72 points in 70 games while splitting the 2010-11 season between Regina and Kamloops. In all, Frazee recorded 72 goals and 188 points in 313 career WHL games.
Rioux, 27, has scored five goals and totaled 25 points while posting a plus/minus rating of +7 in 48 games with the Mallards this season. The 6' 1", 205 pound native of Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, also played six games over two January stints with the AHL's Iowa Wild.
Last year, Rioux scored seven goals and registered 27 points with a plus/minus of +3 for the CHL's Bloomington Blaze. The durable blue liner played in each of the Blaze's 66 regular season games last season and missed just a single game over his first two professional campaigns.
Rioux first played under Mallards coach and general manager 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 65 games with the Killer Bees.
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.
This is the second season in a row a trio of Mallards have been nominated for year-end CHL honors. Last spring Mickey Lang (Most Valuable Player), Mike Hellyer (Rookie of the Year) and Matt Duffy (Most Outstanding Defenseman) were all award finalists, with Hellyer taking home the hardware.
