Aleardi re-signs with Rush

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Rush, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames, announced that Alex Aleardi has signed on to return to the team for his second season in Rapid City, and the 11th in his professional hockey career.

Aleardi joined the Rush last season after a return to North American professional hockey in 2021-22. He was one of two Rush players to skate in all 72 games last season while scoring 65 points (30g-35a).. His 30 goals were tied for the team lead with Matt Marcinew, while his 35 assists and 65 points were second on the roster.

A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Aleardi has 166 points (83g-83a) in 172 career ECHL games with the Rush, Florida Everblades and Evansville IceMen. With the Everblades, he was a key contributor to the team’s run as 2022 Kelly Cup champions, racking up 59 points (31g-28a) in 61 regular-season games, while adding another 12 points (8g-4a) in 20 Kelly Cup Playoff contests.

The 30-year-old has also played in 92 career American Hockey League contests with the Springfield Falcons and Charlotte Checkers, and six seasons in various leagues in Sweden, Austria and France. In the latter nation’s Ligue Magnus, he captured the French championship with the Rouen Dragons in 2018, and the league’s goal-scoring title with 35 in 2019 as a member of the Grenoble Brûleurs de Loups.

Prior to turning professional, Aleardi played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League wtih the Windsor Spitfires, Plymouth Whalers, Belleville Bulls and Kitchener Rangers totaling 227 points (104g-123a) in 321 career games.