(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—Since his arrival in Rapid City in October of 2024, Chaz Smedsrud has been a steady presence with the Rush. A leader on the ice and a glue guy in the locker room, Smedsrud has brought positivity and energy during his two productive seasons in the Black Hills.

In a hockey landscape where players arrive in cities sight unseen on a daily basis, Smedsrud has deep ties to the state of South Dakota. He took his first breath in Sioux Falls and was raised 30 miles east in Luverne, Minnesota.

Smedsrud was no stranger to the city he got traded to, either. The Black Hills, just five hours away, were the family’s go-to vacation spot. Next time you’re at a game, take a look around the club level. You might bump into Tony Smedsrud, Chaz’s older brother and biggest supporter, who has lived here for the last 14 years.

The Black Hills are in the Smedsruds’ blood. So is our military. Tony served our country for nearly a decade in the Army National Guard from 2003 to 2012, reaching the Sergeant rank of E-5 and title of 13B Field Artillery.

“It is the bedrock of our country to have a military that can support freedom,” said Tony. “Without the military, we would not have freedom. My grandma was a Marine, my grandpa was a Marine, my uncle was a Marine, so we just have a military family, and it is in our blood.”

The two brothers were born 14 years apart—Tony in 1984, Chaz in 1998. Even with the age difference, the two have been inseparable for most of their time together.

“We're very, very similar,” said Chaz. “Ever since I was maybe five or six years old, we've been getting called twins and super similar. He's been called my dad a bunch, so we're very similar in the way we think and the way we look.”

Both Chaz and Tony were raised in the State of Hockey. Tony, who played hockey growing up in Luverne until high school, made sure his little brother followed in his footsteps. Tony coached Chaz as a squirt, all the way up through age seven, when his country called him into duty.

Motivated by the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, Tony—then a junior in high school—enlisted after graduating in 2003, the same year Operation Iraqi Freedom began. Two years later, he was deployed to Iraq from September 2005 to August 2007.

“I was at a base about 70 miles south of Baghdad,” said Tony. “Our two primary missions were base defense, and convoy security, where we escorted supply convoys from south of Baghdad to about 30 miles north of Baghdad. If you envision the war, that is what it was like. When we were doing convoy security, it was overnight and it was pretty rough. There were firefights and contact with the enemy nightly.”

For two long years, the family was split up, but the Smedsruds found a way to bridge the gap between Minnesota and Iraq.

“This was back before technology was where it was now,” Chaz recalled. “I remember being in our grandpa's basement on not Zoom, but some sort of web chat. It was super laggy, but it was awesome to see him. We would send letters and pictures back and forth. My grandpa would also videotape all my hockey games, and we would send those in DVDs over to him. So, we kept in as good of contact as we could.”

Hockey has a habit of taking people all over the world if they are good enough to cut it. Chaz was no exception. After averaging over three points per game over four years at Luverne High School, Smedsrud’s junior career took him to Madison, Wisconsin and tiny Wilcox, Saskatchewan. He played collegiately at Union College in Upstate New York, where Dave Smith roamed the bench of rival R.P.I.

After signing on to play for the Allen Americans and Chad Costello, a longtime family friend who would also go on to coach Smedsrud in Rapid City, the early-season trade reunited the brothers. The first thought Chaz had upon being traded was the newfound closeness with Tony.

“(I thought about him) immediately,” Chaz said with a smile. “I mean, to be playing here and living near him, it's still surreal. A year and a half into it, every day you just remind yourself how blessed you are to be close to family and be able to do what you love.”

“I have been around North America watching him play hockey,” said Tony, who has lived in Hill City since 2012 and currently works as a driver for UPS. “I have been to Canada and New York and Wisconsin. Now, to have him right in my backyard, it is truly a blessing. I still can't believe it's happened and haven't missed a game yet.”

Tony made the familiar half-hour drive into Rapid City on November 8, 2025, with a task to go along with watching his younger brother suit up on a Saturday night. It was Veterans Appreciation Night, a staple on the Rush’s calendar that routinely draws a crowd and pays respect to those who have served. The team bestowed the honor and privilege of reading the starting lineup in the locker room to Sgt. Smedsrud. Circled on the card as the starting left winger? “Number eight, from Luverne, Minnesota, my brother, Chaz Smedsrud!”

“That was a terrific honor,” said Tony. “I'll never forget that. It was awesome to be in the room and I'm glad we got the win that night.”

“It was awesome,” Chaz boasted. “I knew he would do well with it. He has had some other public speaking engagements that I've seen him do, but when I texted him that morning, I knew it was right up his alley and something he would love to do. It was awesome to see him do it and do it well.”

Saturday is Military Appreciation Night, the single most important game on the schedule each year. With 5,000 screaming fans in the building, specialty jerseys honoring Joe Foss, South Dakota’s most decorated hero, the starters carrying American flags out of the tunnel, and three hours of tribute to the United States of America, there is nothing quite like it in Rapid City.

For the Smedsrud family, Military Appreciation Night means a little more.

“It was crazy growing up,” said Chaz. “When I was younger, I did not really know what he was doing (in Iraq) and just had to learn as I grew up. It is crazy and admirable what they do for our country as well as the pride they have. The game is super rowdy and just nothing but pride for our country. It is super loud and it is awesome hearing everyone in the crowd.”

The Rapid City Rush kick off the month of March at home on March 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th against the Wheeling Nailers! Saturday, March 7^th is Military Appreciation Night, presented by AARP South Dakota, featuring specialty jerseys and a Coca-Cola youth jersey giveaway. Head to www.rapidcityrush.com or call 605-716-7825 to secure your seats today.