The Allen Americans have announced that they have signed 6’2″ forward Mark Duarte for the 2024-25 ECHL season.
Junior Career
The Hamilton, Ontario native started his junior career in the 2019-20 season. He spent his junior career in the OHL playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs and Soo Greyhounds. In his four OHL seasons, Duarte played in 145 games, where he had 31 goals and 46 assists for 77 points. He had 63 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -11. In 17 playoff games, Duarte had two goals and one assist for three points. He had five penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -2. Duarte and the Hamilton Bulldogs were the OHL Champions in the 2021-22 season. He was also an assistant captain for the Greyhounds in the 2022-23 season.
Professional Career
After completing his junior career, Duarte signed with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL for the 2023-24 season. Duarte played 15 games with the Wranglers, where he had no points with ten penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -5. Duarte spent most of the 2023-24 season in the ECHL with the Wranglers ECHL affiliate, the Rapid City Rush. Duarte played in 36 games with the Rush, where he had 14 goals and ten assists for 24 points. He had 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +3. Duarte had a great rookie season with the Rush, finishing sixth in goals, 11th in assists, and seventh in points on the Rush roster.
Mark Duarte is a great player for the Americans to pick up. He is a player who puts in 100% effort on the ice and does not give up. He is a bigger forward but still has a lot of speed to help him get up and down the ice quickly. Duarte is also a great forward for special teams, as he notched three powerplay goals with the Rush as well as one shorthanded assist. Duarte can play well in front of the net to stand his ground and pick up rebounds or make plays in front of the net.
The 2024-25 season will be Duarte’s second season in the ECHL and first season with the Americans.
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