North Americans in Russia's KHL face difficult decisions

North Americans playing in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League have been put in a difficult position amid calls from the U.S and Canadian governments for them to leave the country because of the war in Ukraine.

The Canadian government has advised its citizens to leave Russia while commercial means are still available, cautioning anyone holding a Russian passport could be subject to call-up for mandatory military service. Earlier this week, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued the same security alert for Americans in Russia, urging them to leave.

The moves come a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin called to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine and almost two months since American women's basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted of drug possession and smuggling. She was sentenced to nine years in prison for the vape cartridges of cannabis oil police said they found in her luggage Feb. 17 upon landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

According to Elite Prospects, which tracks player movement around hockey, 13 Americans and 43 Canadians have either signed a new contract or re-signed to play in the KHL since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, sparking a war that shows no signs of abating. Not all of them play for teams based in Russia because the KHL also has teams in Belarus and Kazakhstan.