Arujo, Widmar join Rush

RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Rapid City Rush, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames, announced the club has signed defenseman Matt Araujo and forward Joe Widmar for the 2024-25 season.

Araujo, 27, is poised to make his ECHL debut after a strong first year pro. In 56 games with the SPHL’s Fayetteville Marksmen last season, Araujo tallied 36 points, which led all Fayetteville defenseman, and earning a spot on the league's All-Rookie Team.

A native of Brookhaven, New York, Araujo attended SUNY-Plattsburgh, where he captained the Cardinals twice, as a senior and as a graduate student. Araujo picked up All-Conference honors in each of his four collegiate seasons.

Widmar, 29, has played professionally for seven seasons, six of them in the United States. He spent the majority of last season in the SPHL with the Peoria Rivermen and the Pensacola Ice Flyers, along with a short stint with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators. He recorded 45 points across 52 combined games last year. In total, Widmar has played 157 ECHL games and nearly 300 professional contests.

After playing in over 100 United States Hockey League games, Widmar attended the University of Massachusetts for two years.