After six years on the East Coast with the Halifax Thunderbids and Rochester Knighthawks, Austin Shanks is ready for his first National Lacrosse League season on the Prairies.
Shanks is hoping for a few less bumps and bruises as a member of the Saskatchewan Rush.
Making a splash with a two-year contract in September with the Rush, Shanks is coming off a career season with the Thunderbirds which made him one of the most sought-after free agents this past off-season.
Shanks established himself as one of the top scorers in the NLL with 23 goals and 85 points with Halifax last year, skills which former Toronto Rock forward Zach Manns saw on a consistent basis over the last few seasons.
“It’s going to be good to have him on my side this time around,” said Manns. “I played against Austin quite a few times when I was in Toronto playing against Halifax. I’ve seen him score a lot of high-level goals and he’s one of the smartest lacrosse players out there. High skill, I think he’s going to fit in seamlessly.”
A firefighter by trade, Shanks will reignite a playing relationship with Rush captain Ryan Keenan after the pair grew up together in Ontario and won a Minto Cup championship with the Whitby Junior ‘A’ Warriors in 2013.
While it’s a brand-new organization for the 30-year-old, the system he’ll be playing in won’t be.
Shanks will slot into a Rush offence which will be led by co-head coaches Jimmy Quinlan and Derek Keenan, the latter of which he learned from over a decade ago with the Warriors.
“I love Derek’s offence,” said Shanks. “I’ve played it my whole life. It’s such a good offence where it’s not for one guy, it’s a team ball. Anyone can score and anyone can pass.”
Shanks will add to a right-side forward core of Robert Church, Mike Triolo, Nathaniel Kozevnikov and Brock Haley among others, eager to be a key contributor in returning the Rush to the post-season in 2024-25.
“We have a very good core,” said Shanks. “I think anyone can score, anyone can pass, everyone works hard and it’s going to be an exciting year for the offence.”
The Rush continue their training camp in Ontario next weekend with a pair of pre-season games against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs and Toronto Rock on Friday and Saturday.
Saskatchewan’s first game of the 2024-25 NLL season will come on the road Nov. 30, visiting the Albany FireWolves.