(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, announced today that Joe Macdonell has joined the Rapid City Rush as President of the organization. He takes over for Joe Ferras, who served as General Manager since the 2013-14 Season.

Macdonell comes to the Rush with a career of over 30 years in the sports landscape, both in the professional and junior ranks alike. He most recently served with the United States Hockey League as Vice President of Business Operations, a title he’s held since 2010 as the league experienced a period of tremendous growth. With the USHL, Macdonell was responsible for all business operations of the league office, and also served as a consultant to the member teams on a variety of issues, including ticket sales, sponsorship partnerships, staffing, and arena negotiations.

“It is an honor and privilege to be named the President of the Rapid City Rush,” explained Macdonell. “I want to thank ownership for believing in my vision of a community franchise that is exciting and fun, and will continue to make Rush fans proud.

“We will be devoting plenty of time and effort to a great environment at Rush games,” Macdonell added. “I have been involved with sports at all levels, and feel Rapid City is not only a great location for a hockey team, but also has a great history of strong local support. I am really looking forward to being part of the team and the Rapid City community.”

“We are very excited and feel very fortunate to have someone like Joe take over the operations of the Rush,” said Scott Mueller, Majority Owner of the Rush. “He brings a great amount of experience in the operations of a franchise, and I believe the fans will notice the change immediately. His leadership, I believe, is his strong point both for the fans and the employees of the Rush. I am very excited to see him in action, and would personally like to welcome Joe to the Rapid City Rush family.”

A native of Homer Glen, Illinois, Macdonell’s career has taken him through the entire landscape of sports business, from ticket sales, to business operations, and financial management. His career began with the then-New Jersey Nets of the NBA, where he became one of the youngest Vice Presidents in the league as the team’s Vice President of Ticket Operations. From there, he worked with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) of MLS before joining the Chicago Fire in the same league as the Vice President of Business Operations. Prior to starting his illustrious career, Macdonell graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1980, before earning his MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame in 1985.

REMINDERS:

• The 2017-18 ECHL Schedule is OUT! Head to www.echl.com to see where the Rush play during their 10th anniversary season!

• For more information on Season Ticket Memberships for our 10th anniversary, call 716-7825.

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