The Rapid City Rush have announced that they have re-signed forward Maurizio Colella for the 2024-25 ECHL Season.
Junior and Collegiate Career
Maurizio Colella, the 6’0″ forward from Tottenham, Ontario, started his junior career in the 2013-14 season in the OJHL with the Wellington Dukes. He played in 33 games with the Dukes where he had four goals and five assists for nine points with 32 penalty minutes.
Colella then joined the Belleville Bulls in the OHL for the rest of the 2013-14 season and played in the OHL through the 2017-18 season. He spent time with the Belleville Bulls, Hamilton Bulldogs, North Bay Battalion, and Flint Firebirds in his five seasons in the OHL. He played in 278 OHL games, with 52 goals and 78 assists for 130 points. He had 111 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -45. Collela made the playoffs with the North Bay Battalion and Flint Firebirds during his time in the OHL, getting to play in 19 games where he had five goals and seven assists for 12 points. He had 13 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7.
After completing his junior career, Colella played in three games in the ECHL with the Worcester Railers, where he did not have any points, had two penalty minutes, and had a plus/minus of 0. Colella then decided to play in USports at Acadia University in the 2018-19 season. He spent four seasons at Acadia but only played in three seasons as the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID. In his three seasons, Colella played in 67 games where he had 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points. He had 34 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -1. Colella played in the playoffs at Acadia in two of his three played seasons, playing in eight playoff games where he had zero goals and one assist for one point. He had 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1.
Professional Career
Colella went back to the ECHL after completing his collegiate career where he signed with the South Carolina Stingrays. He finished the 2021-22 season with the Stingrays as well as the Newfoundland Growlers. Between the two teams, he played in 13 games, where he had one goal and one assist for two points. He had 13 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7.
After the 2021-22 season, Colella decided to go overseas and play in Italy for the 2022-23 season. While playing in Italy, Colella played a total of 22 games with Meran/Merano where he had ten goals and 14 assists for 24 points. He had 12 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +2.
Colella came back to North America for the 2023-24 season where he joined the Rapid City Rush in the ECHL. He played in all 72 games for the Rush, where he had 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points. He had 36 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -11. The 2024-25 season will be Colella’s second season with the Rush.
Impact on the 2024-25 Rapid City Rush (Opinion)
Rapid City has already lost a lost of their offensive power from last season with players going overseas and signing with other teams. Maurizio Colella is now one of Rapid City’s only returning players who was in the top ten on the team in points. That being said, Colella is going to be a huge help for the Rush in the 2024-25 season when it comes to the offensive side of their game. Colella was able to set up teammates to score and was able to find ways to score himself in the 2023-24 season. He should be a huge help offensively in the 2024-25 season. Colella also has quite a bit of speed that will also help the team, as they have also lost a lot of their fast players from last season.
