The Evansville IceMen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and AHL’s Binghamton Senators, and Head Coach Al Sims announced Wednesday that the team signed former NHL forward Mike Duco, waived rookie goaltender Keegan Asmundson and brought in David Leger to serve as Assistant Coach indefinitely.
Duco, 28, returns to North America from the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom, where he scored four goals and added eight assists in 19 games for the Sheffield Steelers this season. The Toronto native captained the ECHL’s Indy Fuel last season, where he compiled 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 63 games. Duco is in his eighth pro season and played in 18 NHL games from 2009-11 with the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks. He also appeared in 267 AHL games, most recently in 2013-14 with the Toronto Marlies.
Leger will join Sims on the IceMen bench for Wednesday night’s game against Atlanta at 6:15pm at the Ford Center. He spent 11 seasons coaching the University of Ottawa in the capital city of Canada from 2000-2011. Leger, pronounced “leh-ZHAYâ€, also served as an Assistant Coach in Japan in 2011-12 and 2013-14, and in Hungary in 2014-15. The Ottawa native most recently coached the Cumberland Grads in the Central Canadian (Junior) Hockey League (CCHL). He will take over the duties held by Johan Lundskog, who started the season as Assistant Coach before returning home to Sweden indefinitely for personal reasons.
Evansville also waived Asmundson, who went 1-4-1 in seven appearances this season. The rookie from Inver Grove Heights, MN posted a goals-against average of 4.58 and an 86.4 save percentage. If he is not claimed by another ECHL team, Asmundson will become a free agent.
