When Saskatchewan Rush defenceman Adam Jay thinks back to growing up on Vancouver Island, it’s the early memories with a stick in his hand that stand out.
It’s a path that would eventually take the 29-year-old defenceman to the National Lacrosse League.
“Whenever I get the opportunity to go visit home, I get to go to Juan de Fuca box and it really reminds me of home and being a kid again.”
Acquired from the Toronto Rock as part of a package for Rush all-time leading scorer Mark Matthews in the summer of 2023, Jay is in the midst of his second season with the Rush defensive core.
After just missing out on the 2024 NLL post-season, Jay and the Rush are trending towards playoffs after a five-game win streak for the team has boosted them to second place in the league with a 9-2 record.
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“Definitely in year two we’ve taken a big step overall as a team,” said Jay. “Last year being so fresh and new with the team, not just me but all of the guys on the team, we had a slower start. This year it’s night and day, it shows that it’s all coming together and we just got to stick with it.”
Scoring two goals and five assists in 10 games this season, along with 29 loose ball recoveries and seven turnovers caused, Jay has been part of a Rush back end which has allowed just 10.1 goals against per game which ranks third-best across the NLL.
Helping to bring along young defenders like Matt Acchione and Jake Naso, Jay believes a thread of leadership is running through the entire Rush roster this season.
“Everyone is a leader in their own way,” said Jay. “It shows you don’t have to wear a letter to be a leader out here, you just got to be vocal and have a voice. I guess I am turning 30 this summer, so I’m definitely turning into a little bit of a leader. I’m a little quieter at times, but it’s been great.”
Completing a perfect month of January with a 4-0 record, Jay and the Rush will face their biggest test of the season on Saturday night hosting the first-place Buffalo Bandits at SaskTel Centre.
With the veteran defender adding a complete, four-quarter effort will be needed to dispatch a Bandits team with just one loss on the season.
It’s a 7:00 p.m. start from SaskTel Centre between the Rush and Bandits on Saturday night.