Riley Boychuk accepts WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement
The Prince Albert Raiders happily announce that Riley Boychuk has signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the team. Boychuk was the second overall pick in last week’s WHL Prospects Draft.
“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 spent his 2022-23 season with the Airdrie Xtreme U15 AAA team. In 33 regular season games, he scored 18 times while adding a team leading 62 assists for 80 points. He also led the way offensively in the playoffs, scoring four times while adding another 12 assists. The scoring paid off, as it helped the Xtreme capture the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) Provincial Championship.
“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.
“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.”
Finishing the season with 62 assists, Boychuk joked that he should aim to shoot the puck a little more, but thinks of himself as a dynamic player.
“I like to be creative and I’m a high level playmaker,” he explained. “I think I have a high hockey IQ, and I try to show that every time I’m on the ice. I try to make my teammates better on and off the ice and I try to be the best leader I can. I’ve been modeling my game after Brayden Point and Elias Lindholm. They’re a couple of really good 200-foot centers who are great leaders on their team.”
Boychuk becomes the second player from the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft to be signed by the Raiders.
