Article – The night Simon Wang heard his name called at the NHL Draft, he wasn’t just making personal history. The 18-year-old defenseman became the highest-drafted Chinese-born player in NHL history when the New York Islanders selected him 51st overall in the second round.
I met Wang at his family home in Richmond, B.C., two weeks after draft night. His mother served us jasmine tea while Wang, still jet-lagged from his return from the draft in Las Vegas, recounted the moment that changed his life.
“When they called my name, everything went quiet for a second,” Wang told me, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. “Then I looked at my parents and saw my mom crying. That’s when it hit me what we’d accomplished together.”
Wang’s journey to the NHL draft began in Beijing, where he first laced up skates at age four. His father, a former national team basketball player, had pivoted his athletic dreams to his son after watching Canada defeat the United States for Olympic gold in 2010.
“My dad didn’t know hockey at all, but he saw something special in the game,” Wang explains. “We moved to Canada when I was six, specifically so I could play better competition.”
The transition wasn’t easy. In Richmond’s youth leagues, Wang often found himself as the only Asian player on the ice. Coaches mispronounced his name. Opponents sometimes hurled racist taunts.
Dr. Courtney Szto, assistant professor at Queen’s University who studies race and gender in Canadian sport, sees Wang’s draft position as significant beyond hockey. “Asian Canadians remain underrepresented in hockey’s highest levels despite making up substantial populations in major hockey markets,” Szto explained when I reached her by phone. “Wang’s visibility matters tremendously for young Asian-Canadian players who rarely see themselves represented.”
Wang’s defensive play with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League caught scouts’ attention over the past two seasons. Standing 6’2″ with remarkable skating ability, Wang tallied 42 points in 68 games last season while showcasing the two-way skills NHL teams covet.
What makes Wang’s accomplishment more remarkable is the relative newness of hockey in China. While the country has participated in international competitions, including the 2022 Beijing Olympics as host nation, the sport remains developing. According to International Ice Hockey Federation data, China has approximately 12,000 registered players compared to Canada’s 600,000.
“People don’t realize how hard it is for Chinese players to break through,” says Victor Cui, CEO of the Canadian Hockey League Asia Pacific Scout Program. “The infrastructure simply isn’t there yet in China, though it’s growing. Wang represents the potential future.”
The significance of Wang’s achievement resonates deeply in Vancouver’s Chinese-Canadian community. At the Richmond Olympic Oval, where Wang often trained, youth hockey registrations have surged since the draft.
“My son put a poster of Simon in his room the day after the draft,” says Michelle Lau, whose 11-year-old plays minor hockey. “For the first time, he sees someone who looks like him succeeding at the highest level.”
Wang’s draft marks another milestone in the NHL’s efforts to grow internationally. The league has held preseason games in China, and in 2017, Andong Song became the first Chinese-born player drafted when the New York Islanders selected him 172nd overall. Wang’s selection at 51st represents a quantum leap forward.
During our conversation, Wang’s father joins us, proudly showing a collection of his son’s jerseys from various teams and tournaments. The most prominent: a Team China jersey Wang wore during a development camp two years ago.
“I play for my family first, but I also understand what this means for Chinese hockey,” Wang says. “Every time I step on the ice, I’m representing more than myself.“
Wang’s immediate future includes attending Islanders development camp before returning to Kelowna for his final junior season. NHL scouts project him to be NHL-ready within two years.
As our interview concludes, Wang shows me a text message he received from Song, the NHL’s first Chinese draftee, congratulating him on surpassing his draft position. “He told me records are meant to be broken,” Wang says, smiling. “Hopefully someone breaks mine soon. That would mean we’re growing the game.”
In a sport where tradition runs deep but diversity has lagged, Wang represents a new chapter. His journey from Beijing to the NHL draft floor reflects hockey’s expanding global footprint and reminds us that the game’s future stars may come from unexpected places.
As Wang walks me to my car, a neighborhood kid rides by on his bike, hockey stick in hand. He stops, wide-eyed, recognizing Wang. They exchange a brief wave – a small moment that perhaps symbolizes something larger: the shifting face of Canada’s national game.
