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Rush Pull Off Blockbuster Trade With Philadelphia…After Re-Signing Captain Corbeil

By Les Lazaruk Jul 31, 2020 | 9:38 AM

It was one thing for Derek Keenan to re-sign the rocks of the team’s defence on back-to-back days in Kyle Rubisch and captain Chris Corbeil, but the Saskatchewan Rush G-M and head coach trumped those moves with a blockbuster National Lacrosse League trade Friday!

Saskatchewan dealt high-scoring forward Ben McIntosh and three draft picks to Philadelphia for forward Josh Currier, the seventh overall pick in 2020 N-L-L Draft and the Wings’ first round selection in the 2021 Draft. Two of the choices going to Philadelphia are compensatory in the 2020 Draft…34th and 35th overall…as the Rush lost two players to free agency last year. The other pick going to Philly is a conditional second rounder in 2023. McIntosh was the first overall choice by the Rush in the 2014 Draft. He now lives in Philadelphia and is engaged to be married. Currier was the sixth overall choice in the 2016 Draft by Rochester. He’s scored 86 goals amongst 163 points in 60 N-L-L regular-season games.

The trade comes one day after re-signing Rubisch and closely follows the Saskatoon-based franchise announcing that Corbeil will be back in Green and Black for another season. Like Rubisch, Corbeil enters his 10th season with the Rush and is a member of the franchise’s three N-L-L championship squads. The 6’3″, 195-pound Corbeil was acquired by the Rush in 2011 from Buffalo after the Bandits drafted him 15th overall in 2009. Corbeil is a two-time, second team league all-star and a three-time finalist for Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Following are the news releases from the Saskatchewan Rush…..

 

RUSH LAND CURRIER & TWO FIRST-ROUND PICKS FROM WINGS

 

 

Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatchewan Rush have acquired forward Josh Currier along with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Wings in exchange for forward Ben McIntosh and three draft picks.

 

The Rush also receive Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the 2021 NLL Entry Draft, giving Saskatchewan four first-round selections over the next two Entry Drafts.

 

In announcing the trade, Rush General Manager/Head Coach Derek Keenan said the move addressed the club’s present and future.

 

“There are many layers to this trade,” said Keenan. “Ben has been a great player for the Rush and an integral part of three championships. He’s an outstanding player and a quality person. On a personal level, I’ll miss him a lot.

 

“From the Rush perspective, we are happy to get a really good player in return. Josh Currier is a proven scorer in the NLL. He has the ability to produce offence in multiple ways. He’s an excellent off-ball player, and with his speed and quickness, he has the ability to create his own shot. His toughness and grit make him a great fit to our offence.

 

“This trade addresses the now and the future for the Rush. It enables us to compete for another championship in 2021 along with taking care of the future.”

 

Two of the picks the Rush sent to Philadelphia are second-round compensatory picks – 34th and 35th overall – in the 2020 Entry Draft that Saskatchewan was awarded for losing free-agent defencemen Scott Campbell and Brett Mydske. The other pick is a conditional second-rounder in the 2023 Entry Draft.

 

Currier was selected sixth overall in the 2016 NLL Entry Draft after a storied college career at Virginia Wesleyan where he became the all-time leading scorer in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. He earned a spot on the 2017 NLL All-Rookie Team after registering 18 goals and 35 points in his first season with the Rochester Knighthawks. In 2018, Philadelphia selected him seventh overall in the Expansion Draft, and in the Wings’ first season, Currier set career-highs with 34 goals, 28 assists and 62 points to go with 66 loose-ball scoops and four caused turnovers.

 

The 27-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario, collected 17 goals, including four power-play tallies and one shorthanded marker, and 35 points over 14 games in the pandemic shortened 2019-2020 season. Through 60 regular-season games, Currier has posted 86 goals and 77 assists for 163 points.

 

Currier is no stranger to the Rush having scored 10 goals in the 2018 NLL Cup playoffs when the Rush defeated Currier and the Knighthawks 2-1 in the best-of-three championship series.

 

The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder, who is currently playing with the PLL’s Archers LC, will bring a unique twist to the NLL’s Battle of the Prairies by joining the Rush as his brother, Zack, is a member of the Calgary Roughnecks.

 

McIntosh was picked first overall by the Rush in the 2014 NLL Entry Draft out of Philadelphia’s Drexel University.

 

“On behalf of the Rush organization, I’d like to thank Ben for his outstanding contributions over his six seasons with the team,” added Keenan. “This trade is good for everyone involved. Ben now resides in Philadelphia and, given the fact his fiancee is from there, it is permanent for him. This is a good fit for Ben and I’m happy for him.”

 

 
CAPTAIN CORBEIL RE-SIGNS WITH RUSH

 

 

Saskatoon, SK – The captain remains at the helm.

 

Three-time National Lacrosse League champion and two-time All-Pro Chris Corbeil will return to the Saskatchewan Rush for the 2020-21 season. Rush General Manager/Head Coach Derek Keenan announced a new one-year deal for the stellar defenceman on Friday, just one day after fellow Rush backend pillar Kyle Rubisch also re-signed for next season.

 

“This will be the 10th season Chris Corbeil will be the anchor of our defense and the clear leader of the Rush,” said Keenan. “He’s captained three championship teams and led us on playoff runs every season. I look forward to having Chris back leading on the floor and in the locker room.”

 

One of the league’s premier transition defenders, Corbeil earned Second Team All-Pro honors in 2014 and 2016, was a finalist for the Teammate of the Year award in 2018, and was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award three straight seasons (2014, 2015 and 2016).

 

“I’m very excited to come back to a team returning the majority of our players from last season,” said Corbeil. “We have some unfinished business to take care of next season.”

 

Corbeil reached the 1,000 loose-ball scoops milestone during the shortened 2019-2020 NLL season, finishing the campaign with five goals and four assists for nine points to go with 66 loose balls and eight caused turnovers. In 169 career regular-season games, the 32-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, product, has totaled 73 goals and 90 assists for 163 points. Of his 73 career goals, 22 have been shorthanded markers, including five in 2014 when he set career-highs with 17 goals and 27 points.

 

In 24 NLL playoff games, Corbeil has added 22 points, including eight goals. During the Rush’s run to their second consecutive NLL title back in 2016, Corbeil put forth his best playoff performance with six points along with 29 loose-ball scoops and eight caused turnovers as the Rush swept Buffalo in the best-of-three final.

 

Corbeil captained Team Canada to its fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, and he was part of the Canadian squad that won in 2015.

 

The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder was originally drafted 15th overall by Buffalo in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft. He spent two seasons with the Bandits before being traded to the Rush for a 2011 first-round pick and 2012 second-round pick.