RUSH ACQUIRE FORMER CHL CHAMPION AHEAD OF WEEKEND SET

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced today that Danick Gauthier has been traded to the Norfolk Admirals in exchange for former CHL champion Jonathan Lessard.

“We’re getting a player that knows what it takes to win, having won a championship, and has also had a very successful pro career,” said Rush Head Coach Mark DeSantis. “We’re hoping Jonathan can add toughness to our team, and fill a scoring void for our hockey club.”

Lessard, 25, comes to the Rush in the midst of his fourth year as a professional hockey player, all of which to this point has been spent with the Norfolk Admirals. The 6’0”, 172-pound forward skated in 51 contests, registering 14 goals, 11 assists, and 25 points. His breakout season came in his second year as a professional when he shattered his career highs with 28 goals, 29 assists, and 57 points in 62 games with the Allen Americans, while adding an additional 15 points (9 G, 6 Ast) in 17 playoff games en route to winning the last CHL championship in league history. Prior to playing professionally, Lessard, a native of St-Eustache, Quebec, played a total of 254 games in the QMJHL across five seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, and Baie-Comeau Drakkar, racking up 200 points in his major-junior career (115 G, 85 Ast).

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