Mike Duco

Michael Duco (born July 8, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Duco played 18 games in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks between 2009 and 2012, spending most of his professional career in the minor-league American Hockey League and ECHL. Prior to becoming a professional, Duco spent five seasons with the Kitchener Rangers of the major junior Ontario Hockey League. After retiring from playing in 2017, Duco became the interim head coach of the Elmira Jackals in the ECHL; subsequently, he was the last coach of the team before it folded.

Playing career As a youth, Duco played in the 2001 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Vaughan.

Junior Duco began his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) career late in the 2003–04 season with the Kitchener Rangers. In five games Duco registered one goal and two assists and added another assist in three playoff games. In his first full season Duco recorded 24 goals and 50 points in 62 games. He also registered a +16 rating, eight power play goals, and two shorthanded goals. At season's end Duco was named to the OHL's All-Rookie Second Team. He failed to make the team or be given a contract and returned to Kitchener. There his overall production dipped to 22 goals and 44 points, but he increased his power play goal total to 11. During the 2006–07 season Duco registered his third straight 20 goal season, but his production dropped for a second consecutive season registering 40 points. In the playoffs Duco notched a goal and an assist in nine post-season games. Duco was reassigned to Kitchner for his overage season and set career highs in goals, 32, points, 54, and penalty minutes (PIM), 173. The following season Duco began the year with Rochester but was called up by the Panthers where he made his NHL debut on December 2, 2009, in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. He finished the year playing in 10 NHL games without recording a goal or an assist but notched 50 PIMs, in the AHL he recorded 9 goals and 19 points in 59 games. In the 2010–11 season Duco had a professional career high with 20 goals in 67 games for the Americans, but managed to play in only two games for the Panthers. At the end of the season Duco became a restricted free agent and the Panthers tendered him a qualifying offer.

During the off-season, on July 9, 2011, his rights were traded by the Panthers to the Vancouver Canucks for the rights to Russian winger Sergei Shirokov. Five days later he signed a contract with Vancouver. He played six games for the Canucks in the 2011–12 season, spending most of the season with the Canuck's American League affiliate Chicago Wolves. The Canucks declined to re-sign Duco following the season, making him an unrestricted free agent. Duco then joined Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian League for the final 21 games of the 2012–13 season.

In September 2013, the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League announced the signing of Duco to a Training Camp Tryout agreement, then later to a one-year agreement.

On October 6, 2014, Duco signed as a free agent to a one-year ECHL contract with the Indy Fuel in their inaugural season in 2014–15. At the conclusion of the season with the Fuel, Duco opted to return to Europe, signing a one-year contract with English club, the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL on June 14, 2015.

Playing style At 5 foot 10 inches tall, Duco was small for a power forward, but played an aggressive physical style with a willingness to fight. He played an energetic game, and was known to finish his checks, and could be an agitator. Peter DeBoer, who coached Duco, said that Duco didn't play small but rather played like a player a foot taller.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2001–02 Streetsville Derbys OPJHL 41 5 6 11 18 — — — — — 2002–03 Toronto Marlboros AAA Midget 32 27 33 60 160 — — — — — 2003–04 Stouffville Spirit OPJHL 7 3 2 5 15 — — — — — 2003–04 Thornhill Rattlers OPJHL 37 25 30 55 50 — — — — — 2003–04 Kitchener Rangers OHL 5 1 2 3 4 4 0 1 1 4 2004–05 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 24 26 50 78 15 0 0 0 11 2005–06 Kitchener Rangers OHL 59 22 22 44 113 5 2 1 3 10 2006–07 Kitchener Rangers OHL 54 20 20 40 121 9 1 1 2 12 2007–08 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 32 22 54 173 20 16 6 22 37 2008–09 Rochester Americans AHL 68 14 14 28 147 — — — — — 2009–10 Florida Panthers NHL 10 0 0 0 50 — — — — — 2009–10 Rochester Americans AHL 59 9 10 19 111 7 1 0 1 18 2010–11 Florida Panthers NHL 2 0 0 0 10 — — — — — 2010–11 Rochester Americans AHL 67 20 11 31 126 — — — — — 2011–12 Vancouver Canucks NHL 6 0 2 2 5 — — — — — 2011–12 Chicago Wolves AHL 56 11 13 24 59 5 0 0 0 2 2012–13 EC Red Bull Salzburg EBEL 15 4 2 6 17 6 2 0 2 2 2013–14 Toronto Marlies AHL 17 2 3 5 32 — — — — — 2013–14 Orlando Solar Bears ECHL 19 4 3 7 30 1 0 0 0 2 2014–15 Indy Fuel ECHL 63 17 19 36 113 — — — — — 2015–16 Sheffield Steelers EIHL 12 1 4 5 10 — — — — — 2015–16 Evansville Icemen ECHL 25 11 5 16 42 — — — — —AHL totals 267 56 51 107 475 12 1 0 1 20NHL totals 18 0 2 2 65 — — — — —