CARLSON TABBED TO ANCHOR RUSH IN GOAL THIS SEASON

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush announced today that third-year goaltender Adam Carlson has joined the Rush for the upcoming 2018-19 ECHL season. He becomes the first goaltender announced for the Rush this offseason.

Carlson comes to the Rush after spending last season with four different teams between the AHL and ECHL. The 6’3”, 180-pound net-minder started the season with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, his first career action in the AHL, and appeared in 6 games, going 2-3-0 with a 2.85 GAA and .903 SV%. After his stint in Hershey, he was assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays, and posted a 1-1-1 record in 6 games with a 2.80 GAA and .893 SV%. Following his time in Charleston, he was then assigned to the Indy Fuel, with whom he made only one appearance with before he finished the season on assignment with the Kansas City Mavericks. Carlson played his final 9 games of the season with the Mavs, and registered a 5-1-3 record, along with a 2.07 GAA, a .922 SV%, and 1 shutout. He finished the season on a call-up back with Bears and ended on the team’s roster.

“Opportunity is what drove me to the Rush. I’ve always been a guy that believes that you need to go to where you’re most wanted, and that’s Rapid City,” Carlson said of joining the Rush. “I build great relationships with coaches, and when a coach wants me, that means there’s a great level of respect between us. I bring athleticism to the goaltending position, but most importantly, I’m a big time gamer. I show up for the big moments, and I’m always ready to go at the drop of a dime. I thrive of being ‘the guy’ on a team. My expectations for the Rush this season are to win. I can’t stand getting scored on and I can’t stand losing. I know we’re unaffiliated for right now this offseason and don’t have a team to house prospects for, but if we have a group of guys that have a winning mentality regardless, we’ll be sure to make a push for the playoffs when April rolls around.”

“This is the most important signing of our offseason by far. To say that I am thrilled to bring Adam on board is an understatement,” Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetrault said of his new net-minder. “Over the last two seasons, our goaltending let us down and never gave us a consistent chance to win on a nightly basis. Adam is a former Washington Capitals prospect, and his talent and success at the goaltending position in both the AHL and ECHL will certainly provide stability on our last line of defense. He brings size between the pipes, and a very strong sense of work ethic. He will be relied upon to give us a chance every night to win, and I’m very excited to have him on my team.”

A native of Edina, Minnesota, Carlson has spent his last two seasons within the Washington Capitals organization as a prospect, primarily playing for the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL. In his career in the “Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League” between the Stingrays, Mavericks, and Fuel, he compiled a record of 15-14-6 with a 2.80 GAA, .899 SV%, 2 shutouts, and finished as the 2017 Kelly Cup Runner-Up to the Colorado Eagles. Before turning pro, Carlson played a year in the NCAA with Mercyhurst University (17gp, 7-7-3/2.85/.919), and two seasons in the NAHL with the Coulee Region Chill (81gp, 38-27-10/2.47/.925, 7 SO).

For more information on season ticket packages for our 11th season of hockey in the Black Hills, call the Rush office at 716-7825.

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