In pro sports change is inevitable.
That can be said for the Saskatchewan Rush as this off-season has seen some change to their roster.
Gone are notable and fan favourite players Chris Corbeil and Jeff Cornwall. The former captain Corbeil signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Rock. Cornwall was selected in the Las Vegas Desert Dogs expansion draft, then traded to the Calgary Roughnecks.
Meanwhile, Jeff Shattler retired.
Head coach Jimmy Quinlan feels the loss of Corbeil is tough as he meant a great deal to the organization and their three NLL Championships in Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
“He’s been everything for the team, He epitomizes what a teammate is, he lets his play speak for itself and speaks up when it’s needed,” said Quinlan.
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Defender Kyle Rubisch is among a bunch of players who resigned with the team this off-season. He says both players left a mark on the team.
“Chris is a great player. His leadership will be missed and that can’t be denied. Same with Jeff Cornwall. Jeff is such an athlete, he plays every game so hard,” added Rubisch.
Quinlan feels losing those players hurts but the team has plenty of young, talented players ready to step up and show what they can do.
“We have a bunch of young guys we are confident in, that we feel they need to play in order to show what they have and show their potential. We have some vets like Matt Beers, Ryan Dilks and Kyle Rubisch to show them the way,” said Quinlan.
That group includes Holden Garlent, Marshall Powless and Bobby Kidd III.
This group will have to fill the void left by the previous captain Corbeil.
Those who have resigned include Dan Lintner, Rubisch, Alexis Buque, Eric Penney, Ryan Dilks and Holden Garlent.
A factor for resigning for many, they want to right the ship as the team missed the playoffs last season with an 8-10 record.
“We need to get back to that winning way, get back to the playoffs, I think we are fully capable of doing that. It’s the main reason why I resigned because I think we are going to have a great team. Last year was a little different, not what the Rush is made of. Especially at the start of the year,” said Rubsich.
“We want to show everyone what we can do. I know we have the pieces from the players, staff and all that’s there. That was a big decision, I know we will be a different Rush team and show everyone what we can do,” said Lintner.
Quinlan adds the team really came together when he took over the bench for the last four games in 2021-22 — winning a bunch of close games, outcomes that the team found on the losing side early in the season.
Most recently the team drafted six players in the 2022 NLL Entry Draft — most notably Austin Madronic at sixth overall, along with Isaac Ngyou, Cameron Badour, Jeremy Searle, Gabriel Procyk, and Carter Brand.