EDMONTON – The Edmonton Rush traded former league MVP Athan Iannucci to the Washington Stealth on Monday in exchange for transition player Paul Rabil and a first-round pick in the 2012 National Lacrosse League entry draft.
Edmonton acquired Iannucci last summer in a trade with the Philadelphia Wings. However, he did not report to camp and was placed on the protected player list.
The six-foot-four 215-pound forward has 153 goals in 54 career NLL games. The 29-year-old from Port Moody, B.C., set a league record with 71 goals in his MVP campaign with the Wings in 2008.
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“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Stealth,” Iannucci said in a release. “This team consists of players and coaches for which I have the utmost respect. I’m just looking to fit in where I am needed.
“I’ll score goals, set picks, grab loose balls – whatever the team needs. My only goal is to get the Stealth another NLL championship.”
Washington also received a second-round pick in the deal.
The six-foot-three 225-pound Rabil has eight points, 27 loose balls, and three forced turnovers in five games this season. The 26-year-old Elkton, Md., resident led Washington with 153 loose balls last season and appeared in the NLL all-star game.
“Paul is an exceptional player, one of the league’s best at his position, and he is going to add a lot to our lineup,” Rush coach and general manager Derek Keenan said in a release.
“He can move the ball and he can score, but Paul is well regarded for the heart and hustle he brings to the game, and that is something we are eager to have working for us.”
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