RAPID CITY, S.D. –The Rapid City Rush, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes, announced the signing of forward Darren McCormick and defenseman Derek Perl for the 2021-22 season.
McCormick arrives in Rapid City for what will be his first full season in the ECHL. A native of Buffalo, New York, he has played six seasons as a professional, the majority of which have taken place in the Sourthern Professional Hockey League. Over 160 career SPHL games, he has recorded 137 points (83g-54a). He led the league with 20 goals in 41 games for the Pensacola Ice Flyers in 2020-21 and was a member of Pensacola’s President’s Cup championship team.
McCormick has seven career ECHL games across stints with the Cincinnati Cyclones and Elmira Jackals. He also played part of the 2019-20 season for Briançon in France’s top professional hockey league, Ligue Magnus, where he had 11 points (6g-5a) over 15 games.
Perl has signed for what will be his first ECHL experience. The 29-year-old has played three seasons in the SPHL, all of which took place with the Huntsville Havoc. In 147 career SPHL games, Perl has 64 points (17g-47a), and has been a member of two President’s Cup championship teams.
Perl has also played overseas in France for Cergy-Pontoise, where he had 18 points (5g-13a) in 26 games in the 2019-20 season. He appeared in 42 games for Huntsville in 2020-21 and had 10 points (3g-7a).