Aleksei Medvedev will not be joining the NCAA, much to the relief of London Knights fans. His decision to forgo college hockey leaves the door open for him to continue his career in major junior hockey, maintaining the Knights' strong roster.
Medvedev's prowess in between the pipes provided his team with stability last year during the regular season. He served as the backup in the playoffs to Austin Elliott, en route to another OHL Championship and Memorial Cup victory.
Recently, there has been a lot to celebrate in the Medvedev household. The 6-foot-3 netminder signed his entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The total value of his contract is $2.7 million with a cap hit of $923,333. He will also earn $97,500 as a signing bonus in all three years of his deal.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have agreed to terms with goaltender Aleksei Medvedev on a three-year, entry-level contract.
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) July 10, 2025
DETAILS | https://t.co/Vh4FAhjmFqpic.twitter.com/wIXrNtWIQe
With an entry-level contract in hand, London management and their fans don’t have to worry about their star goaltender heading to the NCAA. It’s a new landscape between the CHL and NCAA, and players from the CHL signing their entry-level contract will become a bigger deal now.
Vancouver drafted Medvedev 47th overall in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He was the fourth goaltender off the board and the first from the OHL, beating out Brampton Steelheads’Jack Ivankovic (picked 58th overall by Nashville).
Austin Elliott cannot return to the OHL due to having aged out of the league, meaning Medvedev will be the projected starter for London next season and is in for a significantly heavier workload.
The Hockey News site editor Izzy Cheung had the opportunity to speak with Medvedev at Canucks development camp, where he spoke about his time in Russia before coming over to Canada at the age of 14, and how he’s had to work on his coordination as he continues to grow.
Cheung’s piece can be found here.
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