Riley Boychuk (middle) has signed his WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Prince Albert Raiders. (submitted photo/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Rob Mahon

Boychuk Signs Agreement

Raiders sign second overall pick Boychuk

May 15, 2023 | 2:21 PM

Just minutes after the Prince Albert Raiders selected Daxon Rudolph first overall in the WHL Prospects Draft, they selected Riley Boychuk second overall. When Rudolph signed his standard WHL player agreement, Boychuk wasn’t far behind him on that one either.

The Raiders announced this afternoon they had signed Boychuk to a standard player agreement of his own, making official his commitment to the team. The skilled forward torched the AEHL this past season to the tune of 80 points in 33 games.

“It feels great to get drafted and sign with such a great organization with a lot of history,” Boychuk said. “I’m really grateful to be drafted by the Raiders. There have been a lot of high level players that have played in Prince Albert, and I’ll do the best to be the best version of myself, and I hope in my time there we can make some more history and win a few championships.”

Boychuk’s offensive skills not only steered him to an incredible season in terms of his production, they helped him fill his trophy case. He was named the AEHL’s forward of the year, MVP, and playoff MVP as his Airdrie Xtreme went on to a provincial title.

“I’ve been really lucky to be on some great teams,” he said. “It’s cool to think about how I’m getting drafted to such a great league to another great team, because I’ve been dreaming of playing in the WHL since I was younger. It’s a dream that definitely came true now.”

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Later that season, Boychuk kept up his high-scoring pace at the Alberta Cup, where he netted five points in five games. His standard player agreement means he can play exhibition games for the Raiders, though he won’t be able to join them full-time until the 2024-25 season.

“It was an awesome year (in Airdrie). We had such an awesome team, and we were all great players, but we were even better people which goes a long way. We had a really good culture, and it was fun to show up to the rink every day.”

Boychuk also posted 11 points in six games at the John Reid Bantam Tournament.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP