Wichers, Brooks join Rush

RAPID CITY, S.D. –The Rapid City Rush, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes, announced the addition of defenseman Quinn Wichers and forward Calder Brooks for the 2021-22 season.

Wichers arrives in Rapid City for his first taste of pro hockey after a college career at Mercyhurst University. He played in 118 games over four years at Mercyhurst and recorded nine points (1g-8a) while serving as a team captain for his junior and senior seasons. He blocked 183 shots over his four seasons at Mercyhurst, including a team-leading 40 in 17 games during the 2020-21 season. He was honored with the Bill Smith award after his senior season, an award given each year to the senior who most embodies Mercyhurst hockey.

Brooks is a rookie by ECHL rules, despite having previous professional experience. That experience began with a three-game American Hockey League stint with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2015 following the conclusion of his major junior career in the Western Hockey League. He then went on to play in the collegiate ranks in Canada from 2015-19 before making his ECHL debut with the Wichita Thunder in 2019, netting four points (3g-1a) in three games. Brooks played the 2019-20 season for three teams across two leagues in Germany and France. In the 2020-21 season, he joined the Jacksonville Icemen in January and appeared in 11 games, dishing out two assists. In 2014-15, during his final season of junior hockey, Brooks put up 56 points (22g-34a) over 50 games for the WHL's Spokane Chiefs, a team for which Rush head coach Scott Burt was the assistant coach.