Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and forward Ilya Usau get a deal done. (Submitted photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Jeff D'Andrea

Signing On The Dotted Line

Raiders ink Usau one day before camp starts

Aug 29, 2019 | 4:18 PM

One day before their training camp, the Prince Albert Raiders struck a deal.

They signed 2001-born forward Ilya Usau to a WHL Standard Agreement on Thursday.

Usau wasn’t drafted by the Raiders and didn’t attend their last two training camps but did come in 2016 as an invite.

“Ilya was a walk-on along with 2001 draft class at our training camp three years ago,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said in a statement. “He’s a player we’ve been pursuing to join our program. He has extensive international experience and we’re excited to bring him into our group.”

Usau is originally from Minsk, Belarus, but isn’t considered an European Import as he has lived in Denver, Colorado since his bantam hockey days. He scored 15 goals and 18 assists in 56 games for Salisbury School in Connecticut for the past two seasons, playing with the Colorado Evolution in his Under-14 and Under-15 levels. In 2017, Usau led the Under-15 nationals with eight goals and 14 points in just five tournament games.

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Usau had previously committed to the University of Connecticut.

The Raiders training camp begins on Friday, with the first scrimmages starting at 5 p.m. Camp will wrap up at the end of the Green and White intra-squad game, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Monday at the Art Hauser Centre.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW