Oh baby, the Rush are back!

Can you believe it’s been 188 days since we kicked some ice? The hardwood floor and the hum of fluorescent lights are no more. There will be Rush hockey tonight.

When the final buzzer sounded on April 12^th, 2025, Ryan Wagner did a full lap of the ice at The Monument, made a heart with his hands and pointed to the crowd, then took the microphone and declared to the nearly 5,000, “Don’t worry. Next year, we are going to the playoffs … We’re coming back for a revenge tour, and I promise, we’ll be there.”

Actions speak louder than words. Every captain of every team in our league could say the same line and get the same reaction, but the Rush answered the demands over the summer.

Ever since being announced on June 23^rd, then formally introduced on July 9^th to an overflow crowd on the arena floor, Dave Smith has said and done all the right things. He kept the core intact—the same core that helped the Rush win 11 in a row in February—and added his own twist to roster building with newcomers. He has strengthened the relationship with the Calgary organization to a point it has never been before, and the opening night roster is full proof of that.

We’re a heck of a team on paper, and we’re all uber-excited about it. Now, it’s time to play the game. Here are my thoughts—with some insight from Dave—going into game one of year 18.

DAVE’S DEBUT

Hiring a guy with no professional coaching experience may have, on paper, been a hire out of left field. Then, you meet the man, and you realize that an Elite Prospects page does not tell the whole story on anyone.

Dave is articulate, well-spoken, yet down-to-earth, and has impressed everyone with his attention to detail. He has listened to everyone’s questions, comments, and concerns with a genuine care and respect. He makes a point to meet members of our community—Rush fans or not—and never shies away from showing up. Simply put, Dave makes everyone around him better through his actions and leadership.

For the Smith family, the move to pro hockey is one they have been eyeing for a decade. Now that Dave is out of the college atmosphere and in this new adventure, he just seems happy to be here. You know he’ll be taking it all in over the next couple of weeks.

IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER

Training camp in the ECHL is quite the beast. The Rush have only had 12 practices as a group before their first game. We are one of only a handful of teams not to play a preseason game. Dave wanted a high-intensity training camp, and that is what he got.

DS: “It was really good. We have a very interested group of professional hockey players that want to do great. They want to do great things. You're not just here for a cup of coffee. They're here to get better every day and win some hockey games for themselves, for the organization, and for everybody. It has been great to see their focus and energy.

CB: How have you liked seeing seeing the roster you built on paper and that ideal roster on paper come together?

DS: I like it. I mean, even in the last 12 days, it's changed, right? It's changed every day for the last few days. I think that's part of the league, but we have a core, we have some leaders, we have some guys that we got to spend time with at Wranglers Camp, and we have a group that wants to win hockey games right now. I think they know that if you win hockey games here, that puts them all in a good position to get called up to the next level.

BACK TO WORK

In his opening press conference, Dave told everyone that even with a new coach at the helm, guys want to come back to Rapid City. There wasn’t a whole lot of convincing needed to get players back to the RAP.

Let’s look at the first of two elements that so many successful teams in our league have: a solid core. The Rush have been cultivating that group over the last two years, and we’re seeing it all come together right now. Ten returning players are on the opening night roster.

The big boys are back. Four of the top five scorers are back: Ryan Wagner, Blake Bennett, Chaz Smedsrud, and Billy Constantinou. Had Brett Davis not left for the AHL in January, he would be on that list.

LOADED UP

Now, the second element: a strong relationship with your affiliate. The Rush and Calgary ironed out a multi-year affiliation extension over the summer. Year four of the relationship is poised to be the strongest ever.

The Rush begin the season with ten affiliated players on the roster. TEN! That’s more than at any point last year. Familiar faces like Bennett, Davis, and Chase Pauls parlayed their ECHL performances last year into AHL deals—more importantly, they are staying in the organization and have no qualms about an assignment to Rapid City.

Tack on a couple fifth-year pros in Ryan Chyzowski and Xavier Bernard. A pair of Calgary natives in Quinn Olson and Carter Wilkie. Add Utah’s leading goal-scorer from a year ago, Briley Wood.

The opening night goaltending tandem is Connor Murphy, the Rush’s top goaltender from last season, and Arsenii Sergeev, who is on an NHL contract and a proven winner in junior and college. Awesome.

In total, the Rush have 511 American Hockey League games of experience from ten different players on their roster.

DS: “It would be naive of anybody to think it doesn't start at the top, and the way the ownership and the Rush organization through Jared not only negotiated but executed a contract together. That the relationship is one built on trust, the expectations, and that's the first step. The next step is creating an environment here—Peter Drikos was a part of that in years past—but now as we move forward, it's conversations. This is what we're expecting to do, this is what we plan to do, this is how we're going to work together, and then sharing a vision of what we can accomplish here. The Wranglers organization has said directly to us, we want you guys to be really good. We want to not only provide a good in-the-moment experience for development and winning, but we want a partnership, and winning is something that's very important to everybody.”

CB: What are you seeing out of the two-way guys that come down here from the AHL and want to make the most of the opportunity?

DS: I've seen all positives. To a man, all of them have said, ‘Hey, I am happy to be on the ice today with you guys. I'm going to work on my game. I'm going to help us win and we'll let the chips fall where they may.’ They've been true professionals, and I've seen nothing but the best from each of them.”

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2025

Tonight is the night the scoreboard flicks on, and the paper goes away. Dave said after a training camp practice that his team has embraced every challenge, every bit of adversity. They’re facing a challenge right away: the two-time defending Mountain Division champion in their barn.

CB: You have said all the right things, done all the right things since you arrived here in July. Of course, you can't win the game on paper. How do you translate everything that you've said and done to starting 1-0 on Friday night?

DS: Our job is to empower the players, educate, inform them what we're trying to do, and then let them run. Let them play, let them go. And that's a hard balance, right? It's always a hard balance because you don't want to restrict them, but we have to have structure, and we also have to allow for creativity. If we have that, I believe we have enough talent that we can win a lot of hockey games. We have to, as coaches, allow them to showcase their individual skills as a collective team. If we do that, we've accomplished a lot.

CB: What do you see in Kansas City, pre-scouting them?

DS: Nothing. They haven't played any games. We watched film from last year. They're an organized team that has talent and based on what we know, it looks like they're going to be good again.

CB: What is your outlook on the division as a whole, and the opponents you're going to see throughout the year?

DS: Honestly, I think other people have a preconceived opinion of what each team will be. I think our focus from day one has been on us. Let's go be the best version of ourselves that we can be. We'll pre-scout, we'll be prepared for the opponents. Right now no one's really played any games leading up to it, but we'll have a mountain of information after Friday, after Saturday, after this weekend of everybody, and we'll apply that as necessary, but it won't change.

Starting off on the road could be a blessing, too. It really is all about us. It’s a bubble with no distractions, just your brothers around you for four days straight.

The anticipation is killing me.

Hey, it’s only one game out of 72. It is a long season, but there is no question the guys are ready. It will be January before you know it, though, so let’s all strap in and enjoy year 18 together. We hope you join us all season—at The Monument, on the road, on FloHockey, on Mixlr—wherever you may be. Go Rush!

2025 Rapid City Rush Opening Night, presented by Denny Menholt, at The Monument Ice Arena is Friday, October 24^th! Check out the 2025-26 promotional schedule for a list of all themed nights. Call the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com to learn more and secure your seats today.