RUSH CAPTAIN RETURNS FOR NINTH SEASON

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush announced today that defenseman and Rush captain Riley Weselowski, the longest-tenured player in team history, has returned for his team-record ninth season with the Rush for the 2018-19 ECHL campaign.  Weselowski will also be a Player-Assistant for the team this upcoming season. Weselowski comes back after completing his eighth season with the team.  The 6’1”, 192-pound blue-liner played in 67 games last season, registering 4 goals, 18 assists, and 22 points.  Just before the start of last season, Weselowski was named the ninth captain in team history, and the fourth defenseman to hold the team’s honor.  He achieved two major career milestones last season, becoming the first player in Rush history to play in 400 games on November 15, 2017 against the Idaho Steelheads on home ice, and earned his 200th career point on March 30, 2018 against the Quad City Mallards at home with an assist in a 4-3 overtime win. “It is great to be back on board with the Rush.  No one takes more pride when putting on that jersey than I do,” Weselowski said of returning for his ninth season.  “I feel we have the pieces in place to be a competitive team this season.  There will definitely be a learning curve, but having a good number of guys back from last season will help us shorten that process.  I look forward to learning more about the coaching side of the game from Coach Tetrault and Coach Ferrara, and passing my knowledge of the pro game to our younger guys.  I am also very fortunate to have a wife who continues to sacrifice so much so I can do what I love, and play hockey in front of our great fans.” “It’s great to have Riley back. He’s a pillar to the community of Rapid City, and my captain, so to bring someone back of his stature and character is great for our team,” Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetrault said of his returning captain.  “Riley was an iron man for us last year in the sense that he really stepped up his game for our locker room.  With all the injuries and inconsistencies we had on the back-end, he was forced to play 35 minutes a night with Josh Elmes.  His fitness and hockey sense are his best attributes: no one else could’ve played his work load last year, but he keeps in great shape and takes outstanding care of his body. “This year, as both my Player-Assistant and captain, I expect Riley to lead and pick up from where he left off last season,” Tetrault elaborated on Weselowski.  “While I’ll still call upon him in key situations, I want him to help out our young defensemen this year. As a right-shot defenseman, he has even more added value for our team.  I look forward to Riley continuing to play at a high level, and can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish as our captain for another season.” A native of Pilot Mound, Manitoba, Weselowski, 33, returns to the Rush for the eleventh season of his professional career in which all but two have been played with an “R” on his chest.  Weselowski is the longest-tenured player in franchise history in both seasons and games played with the team, having skated in 467 games with the Rush as he heads into his ninth season. He holds nine additional Rush franchise records, and is the all-time leading scorer in team history among defensemen in all three major categories with 31 goals, 144 assists, and 175 points to his credit.  The veteran of 586 games in the pro ranks in the CHL and ECHL has also skated with the Idaho Steelheads and Cincinnati Cyclones, and has career totals of 36 goals, 167 assists, and 203 points.  He first came to the Rush in the 2009-10 CHL Season when was part of the 2010 Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Championship team that defeated the Allen Americans, and was later named CHL Man of the Year and CHL Most Outstanding Defenseman in the 2011-12 campaign.  Prior to his eleven year career, Weselowski skated with the NCAA’s Bemidji State Beavers and notched 8 goals, 31 assists, and 39 points in 124 games across four seasons. ######