WINSTON DAY CHIEF IS THE FIRST RUSH PLAYER FOR THE 2014-15 SEASON

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush are pleased to announce the signing of their first player for the upcoming 2014-15 CHL season. Head Coach and GM Joe Ferras has brought back fan-favorite Winston Day Chief, who looks to build upon a stellar 2013-14 campaign with the Rush.

“We are very excited to get Winston back for the upcoming season,” said Head Coach and GM Joe Ferras. “Winston is coming off of a tremendous season that saw him become one of the premier power forwards in the CHL. He is a player that has a skill set that makes the players around him that much better on the ice, and is capable of playing in all situations, as well as being an impact player.

“I am very excited to be back with the Rush for my third season,” said Day Chief on his return to the Black Hills. “Rapid City is the only place I have ever known in my professional career, and it has always been great to me. I look forward to what the upcoming season has to offer for my career and for the Rush. We have a lot of unfinished business to take care of since our first-round series against Quad City. We have a great core to build around and compete for a championship.”

Voted third in both the “Most Underrated Player” and “Best Power Forward” categories in last year’s “Best of the Best” poll, Day Chief looks to continue his professional success donning a red R, especially after a 2013-14 season that saw him set career highs in just about every statistical category, scoring 26 goals and recording 28 assists for 54 points. His 54 points were second on the team in scoring behind Jesse Schultz, and his 26 goals were second to only Konrad Reeder’s 34 for the team lead in that category as well. After a brief moment on injured reserve early in the season, Winston exploded onto the scene in his return, competing in a stretch of 16 games, starting with a career-high 4-point night against the Denver Cutthroats on December 21st, which saw him record 22 points (15G, 7A), including a 7-game point streak, the second-longest in his career, and his first career hat-trick; a natural hat-trick to tie and win the game against the St. Charles Chill on New Year’s Eve with less than a minute to play in regulation. For his stellar play in that timeframe, Day Chief was named the CHL’s Third Star of the Month of December. He played in each of the Rush’s 7 first-round postseason games against the Quad City Mallards, notching a goal and an assist in the series defeat.

Ferras added: “the way that Winston competes on the ice, coupled with the way he conducts himself as a true professional off the ice, has allowed him to become a fan favorite as well as a role model and mentor to the youth throughout our community.”

“I never expected to become a role model,” added Day Chief, “but if that is something I have become then I’m honored to be one for our community. If I have become a positive influence to others or even just one person, it makes me believe that playing hockey for a living is worth it.”

“With the character and work ethic that Winston shows on a nightly basis, he instantly earned the respect of his teammates. His leadership on and off the ice will be invaluable in his third full season wearing the Rush jersey,” concluded Ferras.

Hailing from Standoff, Alberta, the 6’1” 190 lb forward has played in five games shy of 100 with the Rapid City Rush, where he has become a key factor in front of the net offensively. In his time in the Black Hills, Day Chief has 35 goals and 40 assists to his name for 75 points in a Rush uniform. Before coming to the Mt. Rushmore State, Day Chief played collegiately at the University of Lethbridge in Canada’s CIS system, playing in 68 games for the Pronghorns, and for the University of Alaska-Anchorage in the NCAA for a season.

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