Ivan Kechkin is now officially a member of the Prince Albert Raiders.
The 17-year-old forward from Moscow, Russia signed his standard player agreement with the defending Western Hockey League champions on Monday as the team prepares for their 2019 training camp.
“Ivan arrived in Prince Albert last night (Sunday) and was very excited to get to the rink this morning,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said in a statement.
“He’s looking forward to meeting and getting on the ice with some of our returning players before camp starts at the end of the week.”
Kechkin, who was the 60th overall pick in June’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, had 18 points in 15 games last season for the Moscow U18 program and 15 points in 23 games for his hometown’s U17 squad.
He’s the first Russia player ever chosen by the Raiders in the draft and will be only the second skater from the country to suit up for the team.
Forward Anton Borodkin, who spent two years with the Kamloops Blazers after they picked him in the 1998 draft, had 30 points in 52 games with the Raiders over the course of two seasons from 2000 to 2002.
Raiders fans will get to see Kechkin in person for the first time on Friday when training camp gets underway at the Art Hauser Centre at 5 p.m.
