The Rapid City Rush have announced that they have traded defenseman Zack Hoffman and forward Patrick Bajkov to the Bloomington Bison in exchange for defenseman Chase Pauls and forward Jackson Leppard.
The Rush acquired Bajkov in a trade earlier in the season from the Cincinnati Cyclones. Since joining the Rush, Bajkov had played in 20 games where he had one goal and four assists for five points with six penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -15. In his five ECHL seasons, Bajkov has played in 249 games, scoring 67 goals and 105 assists for 172 points. He has 68 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -27.
Zack Hoffman played in 103 games with the Rush, including 71 of 72 last season and all 32 games this season. This season, Hoffman had three goals and four assists for seven points with 17 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -5. In his 103 games with the Rush, Hoffman had six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. He had 93 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -15. In his three ECHL seasons, Hoffman has played in 155 games where he has six goals and 20 assists for 26 points with 162 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -26.
Rapid City Rush Receives Chase Pauls and Jackson Leppard
Chase Pauls, the 21-year-old from Osler, Saskatchewan, played in 25 games with the Bloomington Bison this season, where he had two assists with eight penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -5. The 6’5″ defenseman played in the WHL prior to starting his career in the ECHL, splitting his time between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars. In 224 WHL games, Pauls had 21 goals and 48 assists for 69 points. He had 156 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +27.
Jackson Leppard, a 24-year-old from North Vancouver, British Columbia, joins the Rush after playing in 23 games with the Bison, where he had one goal and two assists for three points. He had 31 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -5. In his four ECHL seasons, the 6’2″ forward has played in 217 games, where he has 42 goals and 53 assists for 95 points. He has 323 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -10.
Both Leppard and Pauls should be good additions to the Rush, with both players adding some size and physicality and some more youth to the team. The Rush will have to wait a bit to see Leppard in-game action, as he has five games left in a prior suspension. Leppard will be able to return Friday, January 24th, when the Rush take on his former team, the Allen Americans.
The Rapid City Rush also announced that defenseman Charles Martin and forward Deni Goure have been re-assigned to the Rush from the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL.
Looking Ahead
The Rush are in action on Friday, January 10th, where they will welcome the Tahoe Knight Monsters to South Dakota for the first time. The Rush will continue their series on Saturday, January 11th, before wrapping it up on Sunday, January 12th. Puck drop will be at 7:05 pm MT on Friday and Saturday and 4:05 pm MT on Sunday.
The Bloomington Bison are in action at home against the Toledo Walleye on Wednesday, January 8th with puck drop at 7:00 pm CT. The Bison will then be in Toledo on Friday, January 10th, with puck drop at 6:15 pm CT. They will then return home on Saturday, January 11th, to take on the Kalamazoo Wings. Puck drop will be at 7:00 pm CT.
ITR 31: Let Them Fight – Inside The Rink
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