EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Rush boosted their offence Tuesday, acquiring seven-time National Lacrosse League all-star Gavin Prout from the Rochester Knighthawks.
Edmonton obtained Prout and forward Dean Hill from the Knighthawks for a 2011 first-round pick and conditional second-round pick. Prout, a native of Whitby, Ont., was acquired by Rochester last week from Colorado.
"We made significant changes to the team over the past few months and I liked how our team was shaping up," Rush head coach/GM Derek Keenan said in a statement. "But I had been saying for a long time that I wanted to add one more marquee offensive player and we've done that now with the additional of Gavin.
"He had been a consistent and dynamic offensive threat in this league for a long time and I think he will continue to produce in a big way here in Edmonton, plus give our other offensive players that much more room to work as well."
Prout, an eight-year veteran, has registered 671 points -- including 230 goals -- over 127 regular-season games. In 2006, he had 10 goals and 15 assists in three playoff games in leading Colorado to the NLL title and capturing the Champion's Cup MVP award.
Prout became Colorado's all-time leading scorer last season, finishing the year with 74 points (26 goals, 48 points). The 31-year-old has scored 30-plus goals three times with his career-high of 34 coming in 2004.
Prior to joining Colorado, Prout played two seasons for the New York Saints, who made him the first overall pick in the 2001 NLL Entry Draft.
The six-foot-three, 225-pound Hill, from Toronto, has recorded 95 points in 30 regular-season games, including a career-high 53 points in 2007 with Minnesota. The trade to Edmonton reunites Hill with Rush forwards Andy Secore and Ryan Ward, both former Minnesota teammates.
"I'm thrilled that Dean is part of this trade," Keenan said. "Two years ago Minnesota had one of the top-scoring teams in the league and we now have the three main sources of that offence in Hill, Secore and Ward."
Also, the Rush re-signed Ian Crashley, Craig Zeeh, and Jordan Cornfield.
