The Saskatchewan Rush are set to make a comeback they hope will see them revive some of their old glory in this coming 2024-2025 NLL season. The team had a respectable showing in the 2023-2024 season, bolstered by standout performances from Robert Church, who tallied an impressive 100 points, and Ryan Keenan, who added 90. Despite their efforts, the Rush fell short of making the playoffs, which showed the front office what needed to be improved moving forward. This is a team with much to prove and they have made many steps in the right direction going into 2025.
Saskatchewan was the team that did the most to address their issues this offseason, making a handful of impactful moves. When you add in Brock Haley, Matt Hossack, Levi Anderson, Austin Shanks, and Josh Zawada, you are making a commitment to enhance the team up in both offensive depth and defensive stability. It is in Haley where you get the most upside, though a proven scoring touch such as Shanks’ could complement Church and Keenan perfectly. Meanwhile, the team parted ways with core contributors such as Nathaniel Kozevnikov, Mike Mallory, and Laine Hruska, shifting the weight toward new talent and perspectives.
Building on that, the reputation of Matt Hossack as one of the more versatile transition players in the game has underlined the Rush’s commitment to controlling the pace. With such incredible ability to contribute on either side of the floor, which can run with the Rush’s highly hyped tempo system, Austin Shanks is a proven point getter who gives them a new weapon in an increasingly well-rounded offense. Meanwhile, maybe something that could be missed might be Kozevnikov’s physicality being given to transitions, but the Rush really appears like they are comfortable with how they’ve brought in their much-needed youth and younger acquisitions.
Moving forward, the strengths of the Rush include depth on offense and a great mix of veteran leadership with emerging talent that controls games. Robert Church remains the linchpin of the team’s offense, but the addition of Shanks and Zawada gives the attack a multi-dimensional edge. The team is really going to need its new faces to fit in like a glove if the team wants to make the playoffs this upcoming season. Contrarian views are that several areas of potential weaknesses persist around the Rush despite offseason upgrades. The transition game will take some time to come together due to the nature of bringing in so many new guys together which does take some adapting. Their goaltending, though serviceable, lacks the elite presence seen in other teams, which could pose challenges in close games. Fixing these areas will help the Rush reach big mileage toward what many forecast will be an eventual championship this season.
Saskatchewan Rush fan support has been one of the defining points of the Saskatchewan Rush since day one, and players like Zach Manns realize how important performing in front of the loyal base is. “Winning here would be huge, obviously. The fans are always lined up after games to meet us, so you can tell how much it means to them,” Manns said, reinforcing the overall desire to bring the championship trophy back to Saskatchewan. But the Rush are poised to do something big in 2024-2025 with key matchups set against rivals such as the Halifax Thunderbirds and Colorado Mammoth. It will come down to how well the team marries the new talent into the fold and adapts to the ever-growing competition.
