Rush exchange Weselowski, Mercier, others

The Rapid City Rush had been active Thursday at the ECHL’s change deadline, sending 4 gamers away, such as captain Riley Wesolowski.

Wesolowski was sent to the Florida Everblades in alternate for rookie forwards Liam Bilton and Jack Riley (via Reading), in addition to destiny issues. Shaquille Merasty has been traded to the Orlando Solar Bears in trade for forwarding Taylor Crunk (thru Fort Wayne) and rookie defenseman Myles McGurty. Defenseman Josh Elmes was traded to the Fort Wayne Komets in change for rookie forward Alex Rauter (thru Manchester).

Finally, Pierre-Luc Mercier has been traded to the Manchester Monarchs in trade for rookie forward Dexter Dancs and destiny issues.

“First and important, from the lowest of my coronary heart, I need to thank Riley and Josh for the whole lot they have got carried out no longer only for our group, but the community of Rapid City most significantly,” Rush coach Daniel Tetrault said in a launch. “This was an emotional day: trading those players became not clean. At the top of the day, there is a feeling of urgency to turn matters around in our agency. We made these trades for those exceedingly gifted young players to assist us each without delay and destiny for upcoming seasons. At the top of the day, you want to change high-quality gamers to get excellent players, and we wouldn’t make these deals if we didn’t accept them as accurate within the players we’d acquire.

“In flip,” Tetrault endured, “no longer most effective did we execute precisely what our plan became for this alternate deadline in enhancing the team, but now each Riley and Josh have a threat to play playoff hockey and doubtlessly win a Kelly Cup Championship. We requested Riley and Josh if it became appropriate to alternate them for these tremendous players out of respect for what they’ve carried out for our team, and they stated yes. If they didn’t, then our exchange cut-off date day could’ve been dramatically different. Our fanatics deserve a winner, and blockbuster movements like this could assist us in conveying just that.”

Wesolowski, the longest-tenured participant in Rush records, compiled 20 factors (eight goals, 12 assists) in all 60 games performed this season, his second as the captain, and the first player in Rush history to amass 500 video games played. He was regarded in 517 games, with 39 dreams, 156 assists, and 195 factors. He is the Rush’s all-time leading scoring defenseman, is 2d all-time in franchise records in assists, and is the second-ever recipient of the Blaine Jarvis “Heart and Soul Award,” named in memory of his former teammate and pleasant pal.

“I need to thank the unswerving fan base of the Rush from this season and 12 months beyond. I do not forget myself very lucky to had been part of this company. Still, I’m additionally looking forward to becoming a member of an immediate contender with the Florida Everblades,” Keselowski said. “The most memorable season of my hockey career changed into, without a doubt, the 2009-10 championship season with the Rush. I joined that crew in overdue January and became a small piece supporting pushing that team over the brink. I desire it’s the equation for the Everblades this season in becoming a member of earlier than the Kelly Cup Playoffs.”

Elmes performed in all but one sport this season, registering the first 5 goals of his ECHL career with 19 total points in fifty-nine games. Elmes served as an Alternate Captain and played over a hundred games with the Rush employer over the past seasons, with incomes totals of 5 goals, 27 assists, and 32 points in 117 games, while becoming the third-ever recipient of the Blaine Jarvis “Heart and Soul Award.”

Merasty appeared in 51 video games this season for the Rush, earning 24 points (10 desires, 14 assists) in fifty-one video games. Mercier leaves as the leading scorer with 37 points in 56 video games, in conjunction with a -32 score this season. Riley involves the Rush from the Reading Royals thru the Florida Everblades in a three-group change. The five-foot-eleven, 185-pound forward performed in 47 games with the Royals, registering six goals, 14 assists, and 20 factors.

Bilton heads to the Rush, performing six video games with the Orlando Solar Bears and Florida Everblades. The 6-4, 220-pound ahead played a couple of games in Orlando earlier than finishing up those closing 4 with Florida. Crunk involves the Rush from the Fort Wayne Komets through the Orlando Solar Bears in a three-group change. The 6-1, 220-pound forward has three points (two goals, one help) and 126 PIM in forty games with the Komets this season.

McGurty from the Solar Bears. The 6-1, 201-pound ahead started the season in Erste Liga in Europe with Fehervari Titanok, earning assists in 5 video games before heading to Orlando, where he played 14 games and collected 3 assists. Rauter heads to the Rush after gambling in 50 games inside the ECHL this season. The 6-1, 185-pound ahead started the season with the Wheeling Nailers, logging forty-four video games with 10 goals, 24 assists, and 34 points earlier than heading to Manchester, wherein he added a further six games and an aim and assist.

Dance heads to Rapid City from Manchester most lately, with 28 ECHL games. The 6-2, 205-pound ahead commenced with the Idaho Steelheads, performing in a pair of video games earlier than heading to the Monarchs, in which he logged 26 video games with four assists.