Rush Welcome Back Winger Derek Leblanc
November 24, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rapid City Rush News Release
(Rapid City, SD) - On Monday, the Rapid City Rush received the good news that winger Derek LeBlanc would rejoin the squad after he began the season with the American Hockey League's Manitoba Moose. Last year, LeBlanc became an impact player for Rapid City where he finished second on the team with 26 goals.
"Obviously when you get a player the caliber of Derek Leblanc back it's a great boost to our line-up", said Rush Head Coach Joe Ferras. "Derek's speed and willingness to compete and go into tough areas to score goals will give us another offensive threat."
"It's great to be back in Rapid City," said LeBlanc. "I had a great experience during my time with Manitoba and learned a lot. Now I'm excited to come back to Rapid City and build off of last season and help out with the Rush. If I had to come back to this level at any point throughout the season, I wanted it to be to be in Rapid because it's such a great place to play and we have a very competitive team here this year and I want to be a part of a great organization."
Rush Head Coach Joe Ferras selected LeBlanc from the Rocky Mountain Rage in the CHL's expansion draft for Rapid City's inaugural season. As a rookie, LeBlanc took some time to get going last year, but was one of the best Rush players in the second half of the season. The Brandon, Manitoba native collected 11 points through the 28 games in the 2008 calendar year. Once January came, LeBlanc got on a tear in which he amassed 5 goals and 12 points through the first 9 games of 2009. In 2009 as a whole, the winger collected 17 goals and 34 points in the final 36 games.
"To go to an American Hockey League camp on a try-out and make the team and earn a contract is a very difficult feat and testament to the level of play in the CHL", said Coach Ferras. "I know Derek is going to continue to develop, bring that confidence with him from playing in the AHL to our line-up and build off of his great rookie season"
At the end of the Rush season, Coach Ferras attended the Calder Cup run of the Moose and met with General Manager Craig Heisinger to discuss the Rush organization as well as rookie sensation Derek LeBlanc. With that, he secured a tryout for the young winger who earned his way on to the Moose's season-opening roster. To begin the year, LeBlanc appeared in 9 games and collected one assist while with Manitoba.
"Derek made a big step this season making our team out of training camp and proving to us that he can play at this level," said Craig Heisinger, Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Manitoba Moose. "He's a player who proved we can call on him and he can make a contribution when needed. That is important for our hockey team going forward in a season."
In his rookie campaign, LeBlanc played in all 64 games and finished the season second on the team in goals (26), 5th in points (45), and led Rapid City with 4 game-winning goals. In the CHL rookie standings, Leblanc finished 11th in points, 3rd in goals, and led all rookies with 11 powerplay goals.
LeBlanc will be back in the lineup for Rapid City on Wednesday as the Rush take to the road again to faceoff the Wichita Thunder at the Kansas Coliseum.
Other Rush News:
Season tickets for the 2009-10 season are available as well. Call the Rush office at 605.716.PUCK (7825) for more information. A limited number of premium club seats are available.
Stay informed on Rush happenings through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com.
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