RUSH ACQUIRE ECHL ALL-STAR GAUTHIER

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced that the team traded forward Kale Kerbashian and future considerations to Wichita for forward Danick Gauthier. He will wear #24 and will make his debut this Wednesday night as the Rush battle their West Division rivals, the Utah Grizzlies.

Gauthier, 24, comes to the Rush after playing in 30 games with the Wichita Thunder this season. The 6’2”, 210-pound forward recorded 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points, just 3 points shy of the team lead. Last season, the Brossard, Quebec native racked up 68 points (29 G, 39 Ast), all career highs as a professional, and was named to the 2015 ECHL All-Star Team. With the ECHL All-Stars, he recorded a goal and a +2 rating in defeating the host Orlando Solar Bears by an 8-4 score.

“We’re very excited to get Danick; to get a player like Danick, you have to give up a very good player, which we did in Kale Kerbashian. Danick is a player we have seen several times over the last two years and has always been a player we’ve had to key on and be aware of whenever he was on the ice,” said Rush Head Coach and GM, Joe Ferras. “He is a high-character kid that can play in all situations, has a great offensive instincts, makes good decisions with the puck, and is a very good ‘200-foot’ player. We’re very glad to have him in our lineup.”

Gauthier, a fourth-year professional, has played in 134 games in the ECHL with the Thunder and the Florida Everblades, recording 105 points (45 G, 60 Ast), and 60 games in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch (8 G, 9 Ast, 17 Pts). Prior to turning pro, Gauthier played 219 games in the QMJHL, the vast majority of which was spent with the Saint John Sea Dogs, where he was a back-to-back QMJHL Champion (2011, 2012), and won the 2011 CHL Memorial Cup. Following his success in junior hockey, he signed an entry-level NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning as an undrafted free agent.

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