Belarus native Leon Mikhalchuk doesn’t need to check the map of Canada to know where to find Prince George.
The newest member of the Prince George Spruce Kings had the city on his radar years ago when he used to watch the webcasts of his brother Vladislav playing in the WHL for the Prince George Cougars.
Leon, 17, like his brother, is a forward, and last season he played for Yunost Minsk U18s in his hometown, the Belarusian capital. In 39 games, Leon scored 25 goals and had 17 assists for 42 points.
“Joining the Prince George Spruce Kings has a lot of positives on and off the ice,” said Mikhalchuk, in a team release. “I am looking forward to playing in a higher level of hockey with skilled coaches and meeting new people.
“I’m excited to learn English and different Canadian traditions and customs.”
He’s listed at six-foot-three, 181 pounds, and plays either left wing or right wing.
“Leon is a young player with great size and tremendous skill who has a huge upside and loads of potential,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “We're very excited to add him to the group and we're thrilled to work with him on his development.”
He’s the fifth European/Asian signed by the Spruce Kings for the 2025-26 season.
The Spruce Kings also have two Japanese players – 20-year-old returning forward Kazumo Sasaki and 20-year-old forward Tai Ushio – and have signed 17-year-old Slovakian forward Matus Lukacik and 20-year-old Slovenian defenceman Ozbej Rep.
BCHL teams used to be limited to two non-North Americans but the import roster rules have been modified significantly this year since the NCAA changed its eligibility rule to allow major junior players.
Each BCHL team must have at least 10 Canadian players but there’s no other nationality restriction for the remainder of the 25-player rosters.
“There will be a lot more Europeans and a lot more older players in the league this year,” said Hawes.
A 10-year-old Leon was first mentioned in the Citizen in November 2018 in a feature about his older brother Vladislav and the success he was having with the Cougars.
Leon’s older brother Vladislav, now 25, played two seasons for the WHL’s Cougars from 2017 to 2020. He joined the Cougars as the 54th pick in the 2017 CHL Import Draft. Vladislav was the Cats’ top rookie in 2018, their top offensive player in 2019 and in 168 games over three WHL seasons he scored 51 goals and 64 assists for 115 points.
Vladislav went on to play three seasons in the ECHL and now lives in Florida, where he’s married to American woman, working as a fireman.
