Even though the Rush franchise has made the move from Edmonton to Saskatoon, expectations for the Rush have not changed. The new Jerseys were unveiled last week from silver and black to green and black. The Jersey may be new, but those wearing the Jersey are expected to produce the same results as last season.
Mark Matthews will be expected to be the teams leading scorer, with perhaps Ben McIntosh and Robert Church challenging him. Aaron Bold is expected to keep the ball out of the Rush net and be a contender for the best net minder in the NLL. Bold just signed a new one-year deal to keep him in Saskatoon for the 2016 season.
The Rush got their training camp started this weekend in Vancouver and finished off with a scrimmage against the Stealth. Next week they take their training camp to Toronto and Ottawa where they will play an exhibition game in a rematch of last years NLL final against the Toronto Rock.
Saskatoon will have all their starters back this season to compete for their second franchise championship. You can rest assured that head coach Derek Keenan will not allow his team to get complacent. He will not allow them to ease off the gas pedal and go through the season on last year’s accomplishments, but instead will push his team to compete to their fullest capabilities every game.
The Rush added a couple new faces to the roster. They drafted Dan Taylor and Doug Buchan, both of whom are expected to be part of the opening lineup when the season kicks off. Taylor is a forward and Buchan a goalie.
The Rush will also have their number one pick of 2012 Curtis Knight back from the injury list. Knight was an offensive threat in his first two seasons before missing the entire 2014 season due to injury.
On paper the Rush seem poised for another NLL Championship, but we all know that the game is not played on paper. That’s where Derek Keenan and his staff will have to convince the players that although last season they won the championship, this year will be much more challenging, as all teams will be looking to de-throne the champs.
