Alex Singleton is far from your prototypical ‘national’ as designated on a CFL roster.

Until now, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., native and Montana State grad had spent all of his 22 years living in the United States as an American citizen.

Unable to latch on long-term with an NFL club after stints with the Seahawks, Patriots and Vikings, Singleton decided to apply for Canadian citizenship just 14 months ago, knowing his stock value would increase significantly north of the border. The three-year starter at MSU then enlisted the help of his mother Kim, who hails from Toronto, to fill out the necessary paperwork and guide him through the process.

“I applied in March and then in October, during the season, my mom called me one day and just said, ‘Hey, by the way, you have Canadian citizenship,’ ” explained Singleton, whose rights were previously held by the RedBlacks when Singleton was considered an international. “So I sent it to the CFL and they accepted it the next day.”

Fast forward to earlier this month when the six-foot-two, 233-lb. defender was selected by the Stampeders with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 CFL Draft, all thanks to his new passport.

In almost unprecented fashion, the Red and White selected a player who had never stepped foot on a Canadian football field. His first chance to roam a CFL turf was just last week when he arrived in Calgary for rookie camp.

“It was my first time on Tuesday,” No. 49 said with a smile from ear-to-ear. “There’s just a couple (new) angles, but nothing crazy. It’s basically the same football field, kind of. But it’s all good.”

Singleton did have some level of familiarity with CFL football beforehand as he’s been cheering on a pair of fellow Montana State alums who now suit up for the BC Lions.

“I definitely have watched it,” Singleton mentioned of three-down football. “A couple of my friends have played up here so I’ve watched a lot of games. Travis Lulay went to my college and so did Zach Minter, who’s also in BC. I talked to Zach (after being drafted) and he just said, ‘Be ready to go. It’s the same game we’ve played since we were little.’ ”

Optimistic that his decision to become a Canuck will ultimately pay off, the 2014 All-Big Sky first-team selection has been keeping his friends and family in the loop regarding his first few days in his new city.

“I let them know all the time,” stated Singleton. “I mean, my mom, she’s been here a bunch when she was growing up so she kind of gave me a report (on) how it was going to be. A lot of people that I know from Montana were like, ‘Calgary’s awesome, you’ll love it.’ So I knew a lot about it before I came here and I love it.”