The Edmonton Rush gave up the fewest goals (157) in the NLL last season en route to a league-best 16-2 record. Although they came up shy in the playoffs, getting bested by the Calgary Roughnecks in the West Division finals, the Rush looked invincible at times, especially on the defensive end.
Scarily enough, they could actually get better on the back end in 2015.
Edmonton had at least one representative in all but one of the NLL’s individual award categories this year. Among them were defensemen Chris Corbeil and Kyle Rubisch, goaltender Aaron Bold and transition Jeremy Thompson.
Rubisch won his record-breaking third straight Defensive Player of the Year award on the strength of his 156 loose balls and NLL record 61 forced turnovers. Corbeil was second in the voting, having collected 137 loosies and 26 forced turnovers while also kicking in 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists). Thompson led the Rush with 165 loose balls and was fourth in the NLL in faceoffs won with 235—apparently facing Geoff Snider four times a year has turned him into one of the better draw men in the game.
Aaron Bold led the league in goals against average (8.73), was third in save percentage (.791) and his four game MVP awards were twice as many as the next best goalie in the NLL.
When you add into that mix a collection of strong, steady defensive contributors like Nic Bilic, Ryan Dilks, John LaFontaine, Jeff Cornwall and Brett Mydske, you got a unit that really has no weak spots. Not to mention the fact that they’re all in their prime, with several still having room to develop into even better players.
Backup netminder Brodie Macdonald was traded to the Minnesota Swarm over the offseason in exchange for goalie Tyler Carlson and a bunch of draft picks going either way. While youngster Macdonald probably still has a lot of potential to mature into a star, Carlson has three years of NLL experience as a starter and could actually be a better fit as a go-to option for spot starts and relief appearances behind Bold.
Edmonton also grabbed prized goalie prospect Adam Shute in this year’s entry draft, adding even more depth to that spot.
Take all that talent and mate it to an offense that can control the ball and almost score at will and you have the makings of the next great NLL dynasty. But it all starts on the back end where a combination of tenacity, intelligence and discipline make their defense one of the elite groups in league history.
