His team may be on a four-game losing streak, owning a 5-7 overall record and sitting outside the National Lacrosse League playoffs in fifth place in the West Division – but that didn’t stop Saskatchewan Rush G-M Derek Keenan from making a deal before Monday’s N-L-L trade deadline to get back into championship contention.
The Rush acquired 36-year-old forward Rhys Duch from Colorado for a third round pick in the 2023 N-L-L Draft, a selection that could become a second rounder if Saskatchewan makes the playoffs. Duch is a 14-year veteran of the league and a member of two championship teams. The Victoria product scored the winning goal in 2019 as Calgary won the title and he was a member of the Washington Stealth championship squad in 2010. Duch has 10 goals and 33 points in just eight games with the Mammoth this season. He could make his Rush debut Saturday at SaskTel Centre against his former Roughnecks’ mates. Following is the news release from the Saskatchewan Rush…..
Rush Acquire Two-Time NLL Champion
Saskatoon, SK — The Saskatchewan Rush have acquired Rhys Duch, one of the NLL’s most prolific goal scorers of all time from the Colorado Mammoth.
Duch, has ten goals and 33 points in just eight games this season. Across the 36-year-olds 14 season career, he’s amassed an astounding 452 goals and 1107 points, while going to four championships and winning two NLL titles.
The Victoria product scored the overtime winner in 2019 to give Calgary their first championship in ten years, he won his first with the Washington Stealth back in 2010, which featured the likes of Matt Beers and Cam Sedgwick.
In exchange, the Rush sent the Mammoth a third-round pick in 2023, which would become a second-round pick if Saskatchewan makes the playoffs.
Duch could potentially make his Saskatchewan debut when the Rush host his former team, the Calgary Roughnecks at the SaskTel Centre on Saturday (March 25th).
