Through eight weeks, the Toronto Rush have averaged the second-most blocks per game (12.2) and are allowing the fewest points per game (18.0). A large part of their defensive success this season has been second-year player Phil Turner. After playing just four games as a rookie in 2018, Turner has quickly established himself as one of the premier defenders in the league this season. Turner has 13 blocks this season, tied for third most in the AUDL, and he is on pace for a 30-block season. His +16 plus/minus ranks third on the Rush, an impressive feat for a player who has played 82.9 percent of his points on the D-line.

Turner is getting league-wide recognition, earning a spot on Matt Rezin's weekly Players to Watch article in Week 8. He is this week's Rush Player to Watch, as he comes off a solid two-goal, two-block game against the Madison Radicals in the Week 8 Game of the Week. He'll look to limit the second-leading goal scorer in the league, Quentin Bonnaud, in a matchup against the Montréal Royal this Sunday.