Greenville, S.C. — With the Greenville Swamp Rabbits adding seven returning players to their 2024 roster, the team decided to add eight. Today, August 8, the club announced that they’ve extended defenseman Bobby Russell for next season. Russell will be joining the Swamp Rabbits for his fourth season in a Rabbits sweater and in the ECHL.
Russell, 24,6’0 and 187 lb (85 kg), from Langley, B.C., is entering his fourth season in professional hockey. First turning pro in the 2021–22 season, he started by playing for the Rabbits before being loaned to the Ontario Reign, marking his first AHL exposure by playing a single game against the Abbotsford Canucks on December 1. Shortly after being sent down to Greenville, Russell got another call-up to the then Swamp Rabbits AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, on January 8, when he played a long run of nine games until February 2. After 10 games in the AHL, he did not record a single point. In his inaugural season, the agile defenseman played 43 games for the Rabbits, recording five goals and nine assists with a -12 rating. In his second season, Russell played 60 games for the Swamp Rabbits, recording two goals and 15 assists, with no AHL call-ups. For the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, which ended in a first-round exit for his team, the defenseman played just two games with no points. In his latest season for the Rabbits, Russell had a fairly successful year despite battling injuries throughout the season. He played 39 games with five goals and 12 assists added to his record, along with a -5 rating. One of his goals for that season came in overtime. In the 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs, he played four games with two goals against the Orlando Solar Bears, along with serving five penalty minutes, and finished with a -2 rating. So far, he has played 142 games and recorded 12 goals and 36 assists for 48 points in the ECHL.
Russell’s Amateur Career
Russell went professional after playing the last four seasons in the WHL, three with the Spokane Chiefs, and two with the Kootenay Ice for his inaugural season in major junior hockey. He started playing at the highest CHL junior league during the 2016-17 season after playing 34 games in BCEHL U18. He played just five games with no points recorded for the Ice. In his first full season in the WHL, the young d-man played 41 games for the ice, tallying a goal and six assists. For his inaugural but third season in the WHL with the Chiefs, Russell played 53 games with a tally of 14 points from five goals and nine assists. His third season would be his best, as he mustered 22 points from six goals and sixteen assists after 58 games. And for his final season, Russell played just shy of 21 games, recording two goals and ten assists. Overall, Russell played 178 games in the WHL, recording 14 goals and 41 assists for 55 points.
The Greenville Swamp Rabbits will host the Orlando Solar Bears for opening night on October 18.
