Second-overall selection Boychuk signs WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with Raiders

The Prince Albert Raiders have signed second-overall selection Riley Boychuk to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Raiders GM Curtis Hunt made the announcement Monday afternoon.

The signing of Boychuk follows after the Raiders announced the signing of first-overall selection Daxon Rudolph earlier Monday morning.

Boychuk, hailing from Cochrane, Alta., was chosen in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, May 11.

“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 was a playmaking machine during the 2022-23 campaign, recording 80 points (18G_62A) in 33 games with the Airdrie Xtreme U15 AAA squad of the Alberta Elite Hockey League. He added another 16 points (4G-12A) in nine post-season contests, helping the Xtreme claim the AEHL U15 championship.

Boychuk’s season earned him an AEHL First All-Star Team nod, AEHL U15 MVP and AEHL U15 Top Forward recognition.

“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.”

Boychuk was one of three selections by the Raiders during the first round of the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, including the aforementioned Rudolph in addition to Ty Meunier, who was taken seventh overall.