WINSTON DAY CHIEF RETURNS FOR FOURTH SEASON

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes and AHL’s Springfield Falcons, announced today the re-signing of Winston Day Chief for the 2015-16 ECHL season.

Although Day Chief missed half of the regular season due to injury, he made the most of his playing time and was always a threat on the ice. The 6’2”, 195-pound forward finished just shy of a point-per-game pace, recording 35 points (14 G, 21 Ast) in 36 games, while posting a team-best +13 rating. In the postseason, Winston continued his surge and finished in a three-way tie as the second-best postseason scorer on the roster with 8 points (4 G, 4 Ast). From February 28th until the end of the season, Day Chief was named the Captain of the Rush, earning the honor as just a third-year professional.

“I’m definitely excited to be back for my fourth season. I’ve worked hard to stay in shape and I’m ready to go to work,” Day Chief remarked on his return to Rapid City. “Following my injuries during last season, I spent as much time on the ice as possible when I was cleared. With regards to a leadership role, whether I’m wearing a letter or not I approach it all the same way, which is coming prepared to work as hard as I can.” When asked about expectations for this upcoming season, Day Chief’s response was short, yet profound: “My expectations are the same as they are every year: win a championship.”

“Winston is a player that can be dominant on both ends of the ice, a player that leads by example, and has the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates because of his commitment to winning and playing the right way,” said Rush Head Coach and GM, Joe Ferras. “In Winston’s first three years, he’s run into some freak injuries that have limited him to just over 130 games. A healthy Winston is an elite player at the AA level, and our hope is that Winston is healthy all year long so that we can see him reach his true potential on the ice because I feel he is a very special player.”

A native of Standoff, Alberta, Day Chief enters his fourth season of professional hockey, all of which have been played with the Rapid City Rush. In the previous three seasons, the 27-year old forward has played in 131 games in the Black Hills, and is ranked within the top 10 all-time in seven statistical categories: Games Played (10th), Goals (6th-49), Assists (6th-61), Points (7th-110), Plus-Minus (T-5th +34), Points-Per-Game Average (7th-.839), and Postseason Goals (T-6th-7). Prior to playing professionally, Day Chief played college hockey in the CIS with his alma mater, the University of Lethbridge, for three seasons, and in the NCAA with the University of Alaska-Anchorage for one year.

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