On Monday September 14th, the Rapid City Rush announced the signing of American left-winger Jake Wahlin. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard player contract for the upcoming season. After spending the last four years with the St. Cloud State Huskies in the NCAA, Wahlin, 23-years-old, still start his pro career in South Dakota.
At 5’10 and 170 pounds, Wahlin, from St. Paul, Minnesota, relies primarily on his speed to forecheck in the offensive zone. Wahlin’s explosiveness has the potential to be a boon for the Rapid City attack.
During his senior season, Wahlin helped St. Cloud State repeat as NHCH regular season champions. He also helped guide his program as they qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
During his collegiate hockey career, Wahlin recorded four goals along with eight assists in 34 games. This made for a total of 12 points. That more than doubled his total from the previous year in 2018-19. Then, he only scored one goal to go with four assists in 27 games played.
Prior to the NCAA, Wahlin spent three seasons playing for two different teams in the USHL. Between the Tri-City Storm and the Des Moines Buccaneers, the speedster played in a total of 127 games in the U.S. development league. During the time he spanned there, Whalin scored 32 goals along with 59 assists for 91 points.
He also added 87 penalty minutes. In 2015-16, while playing with NHL-caliber prospects like John Marino and Nico Sturm, Wahlin recorded 15 goals along with 30 assists for 45 points. This included nine points in 11 games which helped the Storm capture the Clark Cup Championship.
Wahlin also saw opportunity to showcase his talents on an international level. During the 2014 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the lefty recorded one goal in five games played for Team USA. In 2016, he would post two assists in five games played at the World Junior A Challenge.
As recent signings, Wahlin joins Shawn Boutin, Gabe Chabot, Peter Quennville, Joey Sides and Bo Brauer. The 2020-21 season is slated to begin on the fourth of December.