MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Brendan Leipsic, a Canadian hockey player currently wearing the jersey of the Kontinental Hockey League’s (KHL) SKA St. Petersburg team, has formally been granted Russian citizenship by a decree of President Vladimir Putin, which was published on a website featuring official government legal information.

News about Leipsic wishing to acquire Russian citizenship first emerged in mid-July last year. Head Coach of SKA St. Petersburg Roman Rotenberg announced at that time that the Canadian player expressed his intention to become a citizen of Russia and sent a relevant letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rotenberg stated back then: "We currently need to make our league stronger, and if a great player like Brendan [Leipsic] becomes a Russian citizen, then it will only cement his desire to play in the KHL."

Leipsic, 29, is a native of Canada with a 12-year career in professional ice hockey. In 2012, he was selected in the entry draft by the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Nashville Predators. He played a total of 187 matches for five NHL teams, scoring 59 points (16 goals and 43 assists).

Leipsic joined Russia’s KHL in the 2020-2021 season. He initially signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow and then moved to Metallurg Magnitogorsk before donning the SKA St. Petersburg jersey.

The Kontinental Hockey League was founded in Russia in 2008 and lists 22 professional ice hockey clubs, namely from Russia, Belarus, China and Kazakhstan.