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Two of the most recognizable faces in Saskatchewan Rush history will be back with the team for the 2026-27 National Lacrosse League season.
On Friday, the Rush announced veteran forwards Ryan Keenan and Robert Church have signed one-year contract extensions and will return to Saskatchewan this winter.
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For Church, it will be his 14th year with the franchise after spending the first two years of his NLL career in Edmonton, the previous home of the Rush.
The franchise’s all-time leader in games played, goals and points, Church led the team with 37 goals in 2025-26 and is a three-time NLL champion, winning titles in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
That's a Hat-Trick for Robert Church!@PlayNowSK pic.twitter.com/MCvKFqNegY
— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) April 26, 2026
He is also expected to reach 1,000 career regular-season points during the upcoming NLL campaign. He currently has 977 points.
As for Keenan, he will be back for an 11th year with the Rush franchise after a career-best 2025-26 season in which he led the team in scoring with 95 points.
A first overall pick of the Rush in 2016, Keenan is one of four players on the roster — alongside Church, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack — who were part of Saskatchewan’s 2018 championship team.
Keenan will also enter his fourth season as captain of the Rush, a position he has held since 2023.
“We’re obviously very happy to have Robert and Ryan back for another season,” said Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan in a statement.
“Free agency can be very enticing for players and people of their quality, so we appreciate their ongoing commitment to the Rush and the ultimate goal of winning the NLL championship. The leadership they provide to a young core is difficult to replace.”
The Rush are coming off a disappointing end to their 2025-26 season, which saw the team lose five of their final seven regular-season games before suffering a 16-13 loss to the Toronto Rock in the NLL quarterfinals.
Free agency is slated to open for NLL teams on Sept. 1, after the start date was pushed back from Aug. 1 to “maintain flexibility surrounding membership matters and the 2026-27 season.”
No schedule for the 2026-27 NLL season has yet been released by either the Rush or the league.
