It's never easy leaving a championship team but Mike Accursi is ready for the challenge of what's ahead in the 2008 NLL season.

Accursi had a year to remember just last season when he paced the Rochester Knighthawks to the Champion's Cup title. He led all playoff scorers with 11 goals including a hat trick in the final that the K-Hawks won 13-11 over Arizona. But in the off-season, Rochester had to revamp its lineup and Rush GM/Head Coach Paul Day jumped at the opportunity to land one of the league's all-time leading scorers.

So not long after celebrating a long-awaited championship with his Rochester teammates, Accursi was traded to Edmonton in one of the biggest transactions of the summer.

"I definitely enjoyed my time in Rochester with a great group of guys," said Accursi. "It was my first NLL championship and something I had wanted for a long time. But this is a new chapter of my career and I'm very excited about it."

And in a quirk of scheduling fate, the Knighthawks will make their first-ever visit to Edmonton this season for an All-Star Game weekend showdown against their former teammate's new squad. It's a game that Accursi already has a keen interest in.

"I hope I can light the lamp against them," said Accursi. "After I was traded from Buffalo to Rochester I had some pretty big games against them - I had a seven-goal game in the playoffs and a five-goal game. I like big-pressure games."

But other than the anticipation of that matchup, Accursi has yet to set any specific targets for the '08 campaign. It's a safe bet, though, that the Rush will be looking for him to significantly add to his already impressive career numbers that include 253 goals in 144 games. He's racked up five 25-plus goal seasons and has a pair of 30-plus goal seasons. Playing with the likes of Chris Gill and Dan Stroup - two more of the NLL's all-time great shooters - should propel Accursi to big things although he's not putting specific numbers on the table just yet.

"I never set anything as far as expectations of production," he explained. "As long as we get the win, I don't care who does the scoring. That's what success means to me and that's all I care about. Stats and points, those are things you talk about when you're retired, not while you're still playing."

The move to Edmonton will also provide Accursi a new perspective on the league.

"I'm excited about the style of play. In the West, it's more open and more of a transition game. It's much more of a young man's game which is good because I like that style of play. I work hard in the off-season and I stay in good shape. I'm pretty dedicated to doing what I have to do off the floor so playing at a higher tempo won't be a problem."

Coming off all the success that he enjoyed with the Knighthawks in '07, Accursi would like to get a good taste of the playoffs again this season. With all the high-profile changes the Rush made in the summer, the players and coaches have set their expectations high and Accursi is all about meeting those team goals.

"If we don't make the playoffs it will be a huge disappointment," said Accursi. "We've made a lot of improvements. Some people might think it's a big leap but I don't see any reason why we won't really contend in the West."

2008 season tickets are now on sale call (780) 732-RUSH.