The Rapid City Rush have announced their protected list for the 2024-25 season. Rapid City’s protected list contains 28 players with 17 forwards, ten defensemen, and one goaltender.
In the ECHL, teams can protect as many players as they would like. If a player has signed overseas or is signing overseas and the team places them on their protected list, the team will have that player’s rights in the case that they decide to come back to the ECHL
Forwards
Alex Aleardi– In the 2023-24 season, Aleardi played his second season with the Rush and fifth ECHL season. He played in 72 games racking up 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points. He had 57 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -1. Through his five ECHL seasons, he had played in 244 games where he has 114 goals and 131 assists for 245 points. He has 157 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +17.
Blake Bennett– Blake Bennett was a rookie in the 2023-24 season and played in all 72 games for the Rush. He had 35 goals and 28 assists for 63 points. He had 38 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -8. Bennett did spend some time with the Rush at the end of last season, playing in 15 games. Bennett has played 87 games in the ECHL, all with the Rapid City Rush. He has 36 goals and 32 assists for 68 points. He has 44 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -8.
Parker Bowman– Parker Bowman joined the Rush towards the end of the 2023-24 season after finishing his collegiate season at Nipissing University. Bowman played in 18 games for the Rush where he had four goals and zero assists for four points. He had 17 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -2.
Simon Boyko– Simon Boyko was called up by the Rush from the SPHL during the 2023-24 season. He got to play in 19 games, where he had eight goals and three assists for 11 points. He had four penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -2. While in the SPHL, Boyko played with the Fayetteville Marksmen, where he played in 39 games. He had 27 goals and 28 assists for 55 points. He had nine penalty minutes and a plus/minus +20.
Max Coatta– Max Coatta spent the 2023-24 season overseas playing in Italy. Coatta played in a total of 43 games. He tallied 33 goals and 29 assists for 62 points. He had four penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +27. Coatta did spend the two prior seasons with the Rush where he played in 135 games. He had 40 goals and 53 assists for 93 points. He had 63 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -25. Coatta has signed to play overseas in Austria for the Villacher SV of the ICEHL for the 2024-25 season.
Zach Court- Zach Court did not play in the 2023-24 season, as he announced his retirement at the end of the 2022-23 season. But Court did play for Rapid City in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons where he played in 102 games. He had 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points. He had 41 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -30.
Maurizio Colella– In the 2023-24 season, Maurizio Colella played in 72 games for the Rapid City Rush. He had 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. He had 36 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -11.
Brett Davis– The Rapid City Rush acquired Brett Davis in a trade with the Florida Everblades in March. Davis played in 17 games with the Rush where he had three goals and nine assists for 12 points. He had 10 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -5. Prior to joining the Rush, Davis played in 33 games with the Everblades. He had three goals and ten assists for 13 points. He had 22 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1.
Riley Ginnell– Riley Ginnell joined the Rapid City Rush for the 2023-24 season to start his professional career. Ginnell played in 45 games where he had three goals and four assists for seven points. He had 25 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -10.
Brett Gravelle– Brett Gravelle played for the Rapid City Rush in the 2023-24 season, as well as the two seasons prior. In the 2023-24 seasons, Gravelle played in 72 games where he had 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points. He had 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +2. In Gravelle’s three seasons in the ECHL, He has played in 190 games, where he has 65 goals and 76 assists for 141 points. He has 34 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +13. Gravelle has signed to play overseas with the Dundee Stars of the EIHL for the 2024-25 season.
Garrett Klotz– Garrett Klotz started the season with the Kansas City Mavericks before coming back to Rapid City for the rest of the season. With the Mavericks, Klotz played in four games where he had zero goals and one assist for one point. He had zero penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +2. With the Rush, Klotz played in eight games where he did not register a point. He had five penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6. Klotz has played with the Rush in six seasons throughout his 11 year ECHL career. Klotz has played in 347 ECHL games, where he has 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points. He has 873 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -69.
Mason McCarty– Mason McCarty was acquired by the Rush in December in a trade with the Reading Royals. McCarty played in 11 games with the Rush where he had three goals and one assist for four points. He had eight penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -1. Prior to joining the Rush, McCarty played in 14 games for the Royals, where he had one goal and four assists for five points. He had eight penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -1. McCarty has played two stints with the Rush through his three seasons in the ECHL where he has played in 83 games. He has 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points. He has 60 minutes and a plus/minus of -7.
Logan Nelson– In the 2023-24 season, Logan Nelson played 58 games in a Rush jersey. He had 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points. He had 22 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +5. Nelson has played for the Rush in four different seasons through his nine year ECHL career. He has played in 510 games, where he has 139 goals and 233 assists for 372 points. He has 439 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -72.
Rylee St. Onge– Rylee St. Onge joined the Rapid City Rush late in the 2023-24 season after finishing his collegiate season at Robert Morris University. He played in 11 games for Rapid City, where he one goal and three assists for four points. He had four penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -2.
Jake Stella– Jake Stella joined the Rush in the 2023-24 season after finishing his collegiate career at UMass-Lowell. Through 11 games played with the Rush Stella had two goals and one assist for three points. He had zero penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +2.
Keanu Yamamoto– Keanu Yamamoto played for the Rush the past two seasons. In the 2023-24 season, Yamamoto played in 72 games where he had 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points. He had 24 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -13. Through his two ECHL seasons with the Rush, Yamamoto has played in 143 games, where he has 37 goals and 56 assists for 93 points. He has 52 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -28. Yamamoto has signed to join Brett Gravelle with the Dundee Stars of the EIHL in the 2024-25 season.
Brandon Yeamans– Brandon Yeamans signed with the Rapid City Rush in November after starting the season with the Allen Americans. He played in 26 games with the Rush where he had three goals and one assist for four points. He had 73 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -3. Prior to playing with the Rush, Yeamans played in ten games with the Americans, where he had zero goals and one assist for one point. He had 33 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6. Yeamans has played in the ECHL for three seasons, where he has played in 113 games. He has 11 goals and seven penalty minutes for 18 points. He has 249 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -23.
Defensemen
Billy Constantinou– Billy Constantinou joined the Rush after being claimed off of waivers from the Maine Mariners. Constantinou played in 24 games with the Rush in the 2023-24 season. He had two goals and ten assists for 12 points as well as two penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6. Prior to joining the Rush, Constantinou played in 29 games for the Mariners and four games for the Cincinnati Cyclones. In his 33 games played, he had one goal and 11 assists for 12 points. He had 12 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -12. Constantinou has played in the ECHL for three seasons, where he has played in 167 games. He has 16 goals and 69 assists for 85 points as well as 84 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -56.
TJ Fergus– TJ Fergus played the 2023-24 season with the Rapid City Rush and played in 36 games. He had two goals and 14 assists for 16 points. He had ten penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6. Fergus has been in the ECHL for three seasons where he has played in 98 games. He has six goals and 32 assists for 38 points. He has 18 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7.
Kenton Helgesen– Kenton Helgesen has played for the Rush for the past three seasons, although he did not join the team until the beginning of November in the 2023-24 season. Helgesen played in 38 games this past season, where he had zero goals and ten assists for ten points. He had 28 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7. Kenton Helgesen has been in the ECHL for seven seasons where he has played in 242 games. He has 18 goals and 68 assists for 86 points in his ECHL career. He has 249 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -28.
Tyson Helgesen– Tyson Helgesen has been in the ECHL for three seasons, all of which he has played with the Rapid City Rush. In the 2023-24 season, he played in 70 games where he had five goals and 15 assists for 20 points. He had 147 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -13. In his three ECHL seasons, Tyson has played in 151 games, where he has eight goals and 33 assists for 41 points. He has 277 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -14.
Zack Hoffman– Zack Hoffman joined the Rapid City Rush at the beginning of the 2023-24 season where he played in 71 games. He had three goals and ten assists for 13 points as well as 76 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -10. The 2023-24 season was Hoffman’s second in the ECHL having played in 123 games in the league. He has three goals and 16 assists for 19 points with 145 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -21.
Colton Leiter– Colton Leiter spent the 2023-24 season playing for Ringerike in Norway, where he played in 20 games. He had four goals and three assists for seven points, along with 16 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -14. Leiter spent the two seasons prior playing for the Rush, where he played in a total of 108 games. He had 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points with 24 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -20.
Charles Martin– Charles Martin ended the 2022-23 season with the Rapid City Rush after finishing his collegiate career with the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Martin then resigned from the Rush and played for them throughout the 2023-24 season. In the 2023-24 season, he played in 42 games where he had three goals and 21 assists for 24 points. He had 22 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +5. Through his time in the ECHL, Martin has played in 61 games where he has four goals and 29 assists for 33 points. He has 32 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +9.
Peter Muzyka– Peter Muzyka joined the Rush towards the end of the 2023-24 season and ended up playing in 12 games for the Rush. He had zero goals and two assists for two points. He had 23 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1.
Chris Perna– Chris Perna joined the Rush on a call-up from the SPHL in early December and played in ten games for the Rush. He had zero goals and two assists for two points as well as zero penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1 with the Rush. Before being called up to the Rush, Perna played with the Pensacola Ice Flyers and Quad City Storm in the SPHL. He played in ten games where he had two goals and seven assists for nine points. He had zero penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +4. Perna has played in the ECHL for two seasons playing in a total of 64 games. He has zero goals and ten assists for ten points on top of 20 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -10. Perna did announce his retirement at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Zach Taylor– Zach Taylor joined the Rush late in the season where he played in seven games after finishing his collegiate season at Brock University. He had one goal and six assists for seven points with the Rush and had four penalty minutes with a plus/minus of +4. Taylor has signed to play overseas in Slovakia with the HK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas for the 2024-25 season.
Goaltenders
Christian Propp– Christian Propp signed with the Rush towards the end of March after finishing his collegiate season at Wilfrid Laurier University and playing in one game with the Wheeling Nailers. Propp played in nine games for Rapid City where he played for a total of 537 minutes and a record of 5-3-1. He faced 296 shots, making 266 saves and allowing 30 goals for a save percentage of .899 and a goals-against average of 3.35. In his young ECHL career, Propp has played in a total of ten games where he has a record of 5-4-1 and a total of 597 minutes on ice. He has faced 326 shots, making 290 saves and allowing 36 goals for a save percentage of .890 and a goals-against average of 3.62.
