FOUR HEADED TO AHL CAMP IN TUCSCON

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced that forwards Brett Perlini, Lindsay Sparks, and Ryan Walters have all been invited to Training Camp for the Rush’s AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. Michael Young also joins that trio in heading to Tucson’s camp, as he signed a two-way contract with the Roadrunners earlier this offseason.

“This is a great opportunity for Walters, Sparks, Perlini, and Young to showcase their talents to our AHL affiliate and hopefully prove to them that they can be mainstay players at that level,” said Rush Head Coach, Mark DeSantis. “They have all had AHL experience, but this opportunity might be better with Tucson being a first year team. I believe these players and a few others we have signed can play at the AHL level if given an opportunity. I wish those players all the best and good luck in Tucson’s camp.”

Perlini is entering his fifth year as a professional and his first year with the Rush. He will join his younger brother Brendan, who was the 12th overall draft choice of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2014 NHL Draft, in Tucson’s camp. Sparks returns to the Rush after being traded last season from the Orlando Solar Bears, and begins his fourth season as a professional. Both Walters and Young, former college teammates, enter their third seasons in the professional ranks, with Walters also returning to the Rush after being traded from Utah. Walters has 32 AHL contests to his credit, and skated in camp for the Iowa Wild at the start of the 2014-15 season. Young will begin his third season with the Rush and earned a two-way contract with Tuscon prior to the start of training camp.

“Entering our second season as the ECHL affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, along with the relocation of their AHL team to Tucson, is very exciting for our hockey club,” said Rush General Manager Joe Ferras. “We know that the players that we have heading to Tucson’s camp will gain great experience to prepare them to play at the AHL level. With the contracted players we will receive over the course of the year, this will be beneficial for both teams and continue to foster our great relationship with Coyotes organization.”

For more information on Training Camp 2016, follow the links to see our schedule for watching practice (http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=702) and our roster of players for camp (http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=707).

Other Rush News:

Join Rush Nation for only $10 per game! Call the Rush office at 716-7825 for details, and stay informed on all Rush happenings this summer through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com, and the Rapid City Rush mobile app, available on iTunes and Google Play.

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