Photo Courtesy of the Rapid City Rush)

As he begins his third season with the Rapid City Rush, assistant coach Peter Drikos has a new role.

The club has promoted Drikos to Associate Coach ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Drikos has held the title of assistant coach for the last two seasons in Rapid City.

“I am excited to be back in Rapid City,” Drikos said in a news release. “This town, the players, and the organization mean a lot to me. We have unfinished business, and I am ready to build toward a championship.”

A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Drikos signed on with the Rush in September 2023. The team has reached the 30-win mark in each of his first two years.

Drikos stepped up during Scott Burt’s medical leave of absence last season, guiding Rapid City to an 18-12-4 record in the three-month period, including an 11-game winning streak.

“Peter is an important piece of our organization and is well-deserving of the new title,” Jared Reid, President of the Rush, stated. “We are thrilled to have Peter staying on-board and working alongside Dave Smith. He is well-respected by the players and our entire hockey operations staff.”

Drikos brings experience as a player and coach at multiple levels. He came to Rapid City following eight seasons coaching junior hockey in Ontario, five of those as a Head Coach between the Brampton Bombers, Toronto Patriots, and Cobourg Cougars.

A former professional player, his first pro coaching opportunity came with Rapid City. His third season—and first alongside Dave Smith—begins October 17th in Kansas City.

According to Smith, Drikos has been instrumental in getting him up to speed in his new role as Rush head coach.

“Peter has been really important to this whole process,” Smith told The Hockey News shortly after taking over as head coach last month. “He’s kept the ship moving forward during the time that there was no head coach. The partnership he and I have now, we’ve spent a lot of hours evaluating the returning players, the protected list of rosters, all those things. He’s teaching me a lot. He’s been a true professional.”