(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced a final future considerations trade, as well as the team’s 2019-20 Season Ending Roster.
To complete a future considerations trade from the 2019 offseason for the ECHL rights to defenseman Ryker Killins, the Rush traded defenseman Joe Rutkowski to the South Carolina Stingrays. South Carolina then dealt Rutkowski to the Reading Royals. Rutkowski made his professional debut with the Rush on March 6th against the Utah Grizzlies. In a pair of games with the Rush, he went -2 with 3 shots on goal.
Season-Ending Rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-Ending Rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2019-20.Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer no later than June 30. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2020-21 Season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to June 30.The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until July 16 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player, or to a goaltender who has played more than 180 regular-season games, will retain the rights to that player until July 16. After July 16, if the veteran player or goaltender is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran or goaltender shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player’s rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player’s rights and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. The member with the player’s rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer.If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by Aug. 1, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.
The following is the 2019-20 Season Ending Roster for the Rush:
FORWARDS (10)
Stephane Legault
Cedric Montminy
Peter Quenneville
Brennan Saulnier
Tyler Coulter
Bo Brauer
Matt Ustaski
Darian Romanko
Tanner Karty
Dante Salituro
DEFENSEMEN (7)
Mark Auk
Brandon Fehd
Josh Elmes
Brett Beauvais
Kyle Froese
Eric Israel
Chris Leibinger
GOALTENDERS (2)
Tyler Parks
Gordon Defiel