Sask. Rush aiming for three-peat; a look ahead to the 2017 season

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

In the pre-season game versus the Calgary Roughnecks, Ryan finished the night with an assist and near goal as one of his shots bounced off the post.

infrastructure

Province invests $3.6M in urban highway upgrades across Saskatchewan

5m ago

Home Stretch

Canadian Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II crew to splash down after historic moon trip

2h ago

Risks

What's in store for Canada's 2026 wildfire season?

3h ago

Another big change for the Rush was when leading goal-scorer and alternate captain Zach Greer was traded to Colorado for Adam Jones.

“It was not an easy trade to make,” Keenan said. “He was a big part of our team and our championship teams and a great leader for us.”

Jones is described by Keenan as a similar goal scorer to Greet and predicted he’ll score on average, even more goals than him.

“He’s three years younger so we get a little bit more time with him before he’s eligible for free agency,” Keenan added. “Adam’s a real good player, a real good goal-scorer and a real good offensive player and again, he’s a guy who fits in pretty well.”

Through the draft, another addition to the roster is Mike Messenger who was selected third overall. A defensive player, Keenan said Messenger is big, strong, and physical and plays with some edge, making him a good addition.

Rounding out the big roster changes ahead of the 2017 season is Matthew Dinsdale who has earned a regular roster spot.

Drafted by the Roughnecks, Dinsdale was traded to the Rush ahead of the 2015 season. He went on to help the team capture its first championship before being placed on the practice roster for the teams second in 2016.

On the offensive side, weapons like Mark Matthews, Robert Church, leadership from Chris Corbeil, defence from reigning defensive player of the year Ryan Dilks and goaltending from 2016 playoff MVP Aaron Bold make the Rush a dominant force.

“The key really is they’re all unselfish players, they like to play within our system and have everyone contribute,” Keenan said.

Gearing up for the regular season in January, Keenan said the goal for the team is to win.

Looking for a third consecutive championship, Keenan said, is never easy.

“It’s a difficult league, everyone seems to get better every year but I think we’ve gotten better too,” he said. “Obviously the goal is to win again and we’ll do everything we can to try and do that.”

The Rush play their season opener on Jan. 7 in Atlanta when they take on the Georgia Swarm. Week two has the team in Toronto to take on the Rock on Jan. 14. The home opener and championship banner raising is in week three, Jan. 21 at SaskTel Centre.

This is the Rush’s second year in Saskatchewan after relocating from Edmonton, an experience Keenan’s called amazing.

“It really was. Our last five, six games we sold out. We had a pre-season game with over 12,000 during the Christmas time so it’s been an amazing move for the team and been nothing but positive,” he said.

During the 2016 season, the Rush set attendance records for sporting events at SaskTel Centre with more than 15,000 fans.

Colton Swiderski is meadowlakeNOW’s sports, municipal affairs, crime and court, health and education reporter. He is also the Sask. Rush beat reporter for the JPBG. He can be reached at cswiderski@jpbg.ca or tweet him @coltonswiderski.