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The Rush boys are back in town.
The National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush opens training camp on Friday in Saskatoon with a group of 37 players battling it out for a spot on the team.
The training camp roster includes three goalies, 20 defencemen and 14 forwards in the mix. NLL teams are allowed to keep an active roster of 21 players plus a four-player practice roster.
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This weekend’s gathering is the first of four training camp sessions, three of which will take place in Saskatoon.
This weekend, the team will hit the floor Friday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by two sessions Saturday between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and then 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
All sessions will be hosted at the Henk Ruys Soccer Centre in Saskatoon.
Rush forward Ryan Keenan, who is entering his second season as team captain, leads the way among the returning players.
Fellow forwards Robert Church, Zach Manns, Mike Triolo, Clark Walter and Nathaniel Kozevnikov are also back, joined by defenders/transition players Holden Garlent, Mike Messenger, Connor McClelland, Jake Boudreau, Ryan Barnable, Bobby Kidd III, Isaac Ngyou, Adam Jay, Jeremy Searle, Jerrett Smith and utility player Keegan Bell.
Rearguard Matt Hossack — who was part of Saskatchewan’s NLL championship run in 2018 — also returns to his former Rush team after being selected in the NLL dispersal draft from the now defunct Panther City Lacrosse Club.
In goal are NLL workhorse Frank Scigliano, Warman’s Laine Hruska and Thomas Kiazyk.
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Among the newcomers to watch for is former Halifax Thunderbirds star forward Austin Shanks, a big free agent acquisition. Other new faces of note include 2023 NLL Draft first-rounder Levi Anderson, former NLL Vancouver Warriors sniper Brock Haley (acquired in a trade for a pair of draft picks) and Rush 2024 NLL Draft top pick Matt Acchione (16ht overall), who will don Rush green for the very first time.
Rounding out the training camp roster are the likes of 2023 NLL Draft pick Jake Bowen, 2024 NLL Draft pick Zach Thompson, 2024 draft pick Marcus Needham, 2023 draft pick Josh Zawada and 2023 draft pick Curtis Bukta.
OTHER TRAINING CAMP DATES
Saskatchewan will host its first showcase game on Saturday, Nov. 9, part of Fan Fest on Co-op Field. SaskTel Centre doors open at 1 pm., with the full four-quarter game — complete with music, refs and more — getting underway at 2 p.m.. A full-team autograph session, BBQ and hot stove with coach Jimmy Quinlan and coach/GM Derek Keenan will follow.
The third weekend of training camp will feature two exhibition games in Oakville, Ont. On Friday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. Sask. time, the Rush will face off with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. On Saturday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. Sask. time, the Green Machine battles the Toronto Rock. Both games will be held at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre.
Weekend No. 4 wraps up the pre-season with two floor times in Saskatoon: Friday, Nov. 22 from 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Henk Ruys will be open to the public; Saturday’s sessions at Gordie Howe Sports Complex will be behind closed doors.
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