Winnipeg Jets left wing Evander Kane has joined Dynamo Minsk, the KHL said Tuesday, becoming the first Canadian to move to the Russian-based league during the NHL lockout.
Kane played 74 games for the Jets last season, racking up 57 points with 30 goals.
“The forward could take to the ice as soon as today, in a game against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl,” a statement on the KHL site said.
Kane is the first Canadian to move to the KHL during the NHL lockout.
Kane became the second lockout signing for the Belarusian team after Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne debuted in a 3-2 victory over Atlant Moscow Region on Sunday.
He is also the second black player in the former Soviet Union after goaltender Fred Brathwaite, who played 66 games for Ak Bars Kazan from 2004 to 2006.
Dynamo Minsk is ninth in the Western Conference with two wins in the past six games.
Kane, 21, was selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2009 Entry Draft and played two seasons for the team, recording 33 goals and 36 assists in 139 games.
In 2011 the Thrashers were relocated and rebranded as the Winnipeg Jets.
