Eric Regan could become a part of the South Korean national team for Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty Images

Canadian-born ice hockey players Matt Dalton and Eric Regan look set to become a part of the South Korean national team after the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) asked the Government for the duo to be given citizenship.

The pair have been recommended to the Korean Government for “special naturalisation”, according to Yonhap News.

Dalton signed for National Hockey League (NHL) outfit the Boston Bruins back in 2009 but never made an appearance for the club and then embarked on a spell in the minor leagues around North America and Russia.

The 29-year-old will be the first foreign-born netminder to receive South Korean citizenship if his naturalisation is approved.

Regan, meanwhile, has played for a number of clubs in his career to date, including NHL side the Anaheim Ducks.

Once he completed his entry-level contract with the team, he moved on to Germany, where he played for third-tier team the Hannover Scorpions before signing for Japan's Nippon Paper Cranes, who play in the Asian League Ice Hockey tournament.

The 27-year-old defenceman now plies his trade alongside Dalton for Anyang Halla in South Korea.

Matt Dalton will be the first foreign-born goalkeeper to receive South Korean citizenship if his naturalisation is approved
Matt Dalton will be the first foreign-born netminder to receive South Korean citizenship if his naturalisation is approved ©Getty Images

According to the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), Regan will provide a welcome boost to the South Korean side as he “could add a new, physical dimension” should his citizenship be granted.

The team already includes Canadian-born players such as Michael Swift, Brock Radunske and Bryan Young.

The move comes as part of an attempt to strengthen the South Korean national side ahead of Pyeongchang 2018, where they will make their Winter Olympic ice hockey debut as host nation.

Ice hockey events at Pyeongchang 2018 will be held at the Gangneung Hockey Centre and at the Kwandong Hockey Centre.

Although they have never competed at the Olympics, South Korea have won four bronze medals at the Asian Winter Games, the last of which came at the 2011 edition of the event in Astana, Kazakhstan.

They also enjoyed a successful year in 2015 as they were promoted to Division I, Group A of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, one step below the elite level.

South Korea are not the only country to look abroad to boost their ice hockey prospects, with China seeking coaching from Czechs ahead of their home Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.