YORKTON - Ahead of a new National Lacrosse League season the Saskatchewan Rush have added some scoring punch.
The Rush have signed 30-year-old Austin Shanks to a two-year deal.
“Saskatchewan has a winning pedigree. So does coach K (Derek Keenan),” said Shanks of his decision to sign with the Rush. “From the top down they’ve developed a really good culture there.”
Shanks said in the Rush he sees a team on the cusp of better things.
“There’s a lot of young hard working guys. I just want to give them that little bump,” he told Yorkton This Week, adding his goal is to help the team bring another championship to Saskatchewan.
Shanks said he knows he has to take on a level of leadership with the Rush.
“I’m there as a veteran presence,” he said, adding he doesn’t need to wear a ‘letter’ to take on that role of helping young players and the team “get over that hump.”
In Shanks Saskatchewan adds a talented forward who already has Rush ties as he joins 2013 Minto Cup winning teammates, Ryan Keenan and Matt Hossack in Saskatoon.
While that connection goes back years, it does provide some familiarity, said Shanks, adding it will still mean adapting through training camp.
“Training camp is really going to be about building that chemistry,” he offered.
Over the course of his six seasons in the NLL, the Courtice, Ontario product has been to one championship, and accumulated 147 goals and 357 points in 90 combined regular season and playoff games. Last season, with Halifax, Shanks was fifth out of all right-handed forwards with 62 assists, a career high for the 5'9, 180 pound righty.
It will be the offence fans are likely to love about Shanks.
Speaking of fans, Shanks said he knows Rush faithful are supportive of their team.
“It’ll be nice to be on the fans’ good side,” he said. “The fans are dedicated there.” Shanks added having strong fan support can provide “momentum when needed.”
“We are really happy to add Austin Shanks to the Rush offence. He’s been the model of consistency throughout his years in the NLL and is coming off a career season. He brings a little bit of everything on the O end,” said General Manager Derek Keenan in a release. Keenan coached Shanks with the Whitby Junior A Warriors. "He’s a very good finisher with excellent mid-range shooting abilities and a skilled play maker. I don’t think a team can ever have too much of that skill set."
Shanks' ties to the Whitby connection run deep. During the summer in Ontario, he was fifth in Major Series Lacrosse scoring with 31 goals in 12 games for Brooklin L.C. at the Senior A level. When he's not playing lacrosse, the Ohio State University graduate is a firefighter.
Firefighting certainly lends itself to staying in shape, and Shank said it’s the perfect fit for him.
“I think firefighting is the best job in the world. It’s new everyday. It’s physically and mentally challenging. . . It’s always fresh,” he said. “I genuinely love going into work.”
Saskatchewan now has right-handed forwards Robert Church, Austin Shanks, Patrick Dodds, Mike Triolo and Nathaniel Kozevnikov all under contract for the upcoming season, with NCAA star, PLL attack-man and last year’s second round pick Josh Zawada still unsigned.
