South Korean goaltender Shin So-jung will depart for American women's professional ice hockey league this week, officials here said Thursday.
Shin, 26, became the first South Korean to play in the National Women's Hockey League last month after she signed a contract with the New York Riveters for the 2016-17 season. The two sides agreed to terms on a one-year, US$13,500 contract.
The goalie will fly to the U.S. on Friday.
Shin is familiar with playing against North American ice hockey players. She is the first South Korean to play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport women's ice hockey league. At St. Francis Xavier University, she marked a 1.46 goals against average and a 94.4 save percentage in three seasons.
Shin has played for the South Korean women's national ice hockey team since she was 14. The goalie represented South Korea at two Asian Winter Games, two IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia tournaments, as well as the Olympic qualification round.
Shin previously said she was happy to join the NWHL club because it can also help her to develop her skills for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. South Korea is currently ranked 23rd in the world. (Yonhap)
