The Rapid City Rush have announced that forward Blake Bennett will be returning to the Rush for the 2023-24 ECHL Season.
Time with the Rush
Blake Bennett joined the Rush towards the end of the 2022-23 ECHL season after finishing his collegiate career at American International College (AIC). Bennett played in 15 games with the Rush where he had one goal and four assists for five points. He had six penalty minutes and a plus/minus of 0.
Collegiate Career
Blake Bennett spent four years playing Division I for American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. With AIC, Bennett played in 80 games where he had 44 goals and 28 assists for 72 points. He had 57 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +11.
My Thoughts on This Signing
I think this is a great signing for the Rush. While Blake Bennett was not with the Rush for very long in the 2022-23 ECHL season, he showed that he wanted to play for the Rush by putting in 100% effort every single time he was on the ice. Bennett is not a very big guy, but he has a lot of speed and can get the puck up the ice quickly to set up a play. Bennett should add a lot to the Rush in the 2023-24 ECHL Season.
New Assistant Coach
The Rapid City Rush have also announced that Peter Drikos has been added as the new assistant coach. Drikos has spent the last four seasons in the Ontario Junior A Hockey League (OJHL). He has spent time as the Assistant Coach with the Milton Menace, the Head Coach as well as General Manager of the Toronto Patriots, and most recently, he was the General Manager and Head Coach of the Cobourg Cougars.
