Trinity Western University forward and two-time B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League all-star Cody Fidgett has signed a professional contract with the East Coast Hockey League's Quad City Mallards.
Fidgett came to the attention of Mallards' head coach Terry Ruskowski following the Spartans' two-game exhibition road trip against NCAA D1 opponents St. Cloud State and Minnesota State last fall.
"One of the opposing (NCAA) coaches said, ‘Where did that kid come from? Why didn’t we get him?" Ruskowski explained to the Quad City Times. "He’s not big but he’s fast and explosive and can drive to the net.”
Fidgett's scoring prowess is well-known in the BCIHL, where the 24-year old has been torching opposing defences since he broke into the league with Selkirk College during the 2012/13 season. As a rookie, he scored the Saints' championship-winning goal in overtime against SFU.
The Richmond, B.C. product then earned his first All-Star nod following the 2013/14 campaign, when he scored 22 goals and totaled 37 points in 24 games at Selkirk. He transferred to TWU following back-to-back BCIHL championships and further emerged as an elite player with the Spartans, scoring a league-leading 25 goals last season.
Fidgett leaves the BCIHL as the league's third highest scoring during his three-year tenure, as his 101 points over that time trail only former Selkirk College teammate Logan Proulx and former NCAA forward Nick Sandor. His 57 goals during that span, meanwhile, lead all BCIHL skaters by a wide margin.
Fidgett is the second player to sign a North American pro contract directly from the BCIHL in recent years, joining former SFU defenceman James Isaacs.
The 2011 BCIHL champion joined the Southern Professional Hockey League's Mississippi Surge following one year in the league and went on to spend two seasons in the ECHL and another two years in the EIHL -- the top pro league in the United Kingdom.
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