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Jackets sign towering d-man prospect Yevenko

Canada v Belarus - 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Quarter Final

Canada v Belarus - 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Quarter Final

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Columbus made an interesting move on Thursday, agreeing to a one-year, two-way deal for Belarusian defenseman Oleg Yevenko.

Yevenko’s calling card is his size: 6-foot-7, 230 pounds.

“Oleg has worked extremely hard on and off the ice and he performed well at both the prospects tournament in Traverse City and at our main training camp,” Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. “He certainly has earned this contract and we look forward to seeing him develop his game even more throughout the upcoming season.”

After playing four years of college hockey at UMass-Ahmerst, Yevenko briefly caught on with the Flames’ AHL affiliate in Adirondack last year before moving to the Columbus organization.

He’s certainly an intriguing prospect, even though he turns 25 in January. Yevenko has represented Belarus internationally on a handful of occasions, including the 2015 Worlds, and should get his first full taste of professional hockey this season in AHL Lake Erie.