Simon Wang makes history as NHL’s highest-drafted Chinese player

Simon Wang speaks to the media after the San Jose Sharks selected the defenceman with the 33rd overall pick at the NHL draft in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Greg Beacham)

LOS ANGELES — Simon Wang is still only 17 years old.

The journey that brought him to Peacock Theater on Saturday morning had already been long and winding.

Then he made history.

The San Jose Sharks chose the defenceman from the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals with the first pick of the NHL draft’s second round, making the six-foot-six, 222-pound Wang the highest-ever Chinese player selected at No. 33 overall.

“Unreal moment for my family, for hockey (in) China,” Wang said as he sported his new team’s teal threads. “Trying to soak it in.”

The teenager started playing hockey in Beijing at age four, but his family decided he needed more competition to develop following conversations with a friend already in Canada.

Wang moved to the Toronto area in 2019, and after heading home during the COVID-19 pandemic, returned to Ontario and enrolled in a private school. Wang’s mother, Willa, then bought a junior-A team in Brantford, Ont., and relocated it to Nobleton — roughly 125 kilometres away — where her son started to flourish.

The two other Chinese-born players drafted to the NHL are 2024 Winnipeg Jets fourth-round pick Kevin He and 2015 New York Islanders sixth-rounder Andong Song.

“I’m just getting started,” said Wang, who’s committed to eventually attend Boston University in the NCAA. “I never really knew this game, how it’s supposed to be played, until (age) 14. I’m always the underdog. Always have distance to catch up. I still have hunger in me, still have to drive that I’ve got to get better every single day.

“That’s why I’m probably one of the most unique guys in the draft class.”

Wang started this season in junior-A before signing on in the OHL with the Generals, where he put up two assists in 32 games as he continued to grow into his body and learn the sport.

Now he’s set a new draft benchmark.

“Definitely special,” Wang said. “I hope I’ve inspired a lot of kids back home, and hopefully one day my record gets broken — someone goes in the first round, maybe top-10. That’s probably the ultimate goal for Chinese hockey.

“There’ll definitely be someone that is going to make a huge impact on the game.”

It could very well be Wang.

Decentralized draft

The league’s first-ever decentralized draft in a non-pandemic scenario — similar to the NFL and NBA, where teams make selections off-site — continued with the Montreal Canadiens trading up to get Alexander Zharovsky at No. 34.

The six-foot-one, 163-pound Russian winger had 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points across 45 games for Ufa on his country’s junior circuit this past season.

The Vancouver Canucks took goaltender Alexei Medvedev of the OHL’s London Knights at No. 47. The Russian went 22-8-2 with a .912 save percentage and 2.79 goal-against average for the Memorial Cup champions.

The Calgary Flames picked centre Theo Stockselius at No. 54. The six-foot-three, 196-pound centre put up 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) in 40 games in 2024-25 for Djurgardens’ developmental team in Sweden.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made their first pick OF the draft with the second round’s final selection, taking Tinus Luc Koblar, also out of the Swedish junior league, at No 64. The Norwegian centre had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 43 games for Leksands in 2024-25.

The Ottawa Senators made a trade with the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the day when they acquired defenceman Jordan Spence for a third-round pick this year and a 2026 sixth-rounder.

The Detroit Red Wings made the day’s biggest splash, adding John Gibson via trade from the Anaheim Ducks for fellow goaltender Petr Mrazek, a second-round pick in 2027 and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

Saturday’s third round saw Vancouver take centre Kieren Dervin (No. 65), Montreal grab centre Hayden Paupanekis (No. 69), and Calgary go with defenceman Maceo Phillips (No. 80) before the Canadiens took blueliner Bryce Pickford (No. 81) and goaltender Arseni Radkov (No. 82).

The Edmonton Oilers made their first pick of 2025 at No. 83 with winger Tommy Lafreniere. The Leafs then selected Tyler Hopkins at No. 86.

The centre from Campbellville, Ont. — just outside Toronto — grew up a fan of both the team and captain Auston Matthews.

“To wear this jersey, I can’t even describe the feeling,” said the 18-year-old. “That was the ultimate dream.”

Winnipeg took centre Owen Martin (No. 92) and Ottawa chose winger Blake Vanek (No. 93).

Ottawa opened the fourth round by selecting goaltender Lucas Beckman (No. 97), wingers Dmitri Isayev (No. 149) and Bruno Idzan (No. 181), along with netminder Andrei Trofimov (No. 213).

Montreal tabbed centre John Mooney (No. 113) and goaltender Alexis Cournoyer (No. 145). The Canadiens then added a trio of defencemen in Carlos Handel (No. 177), Andrew MacNiel (No. 189) and Maxon Vig (No. 209).

Edmonton plucked winger David Lewandowski (No. 117), defenceman Asher Barnett (No. 131), goaltender Daniel Salonen (No. 191) and centre Aiden Park (No. 223). Toronto grabbed winger William Belle (No. 137), winger Harry Nansi (No. 153), defenceman Bruno Idzan (No. 185) and winger Matthew Hlacar (No. 217).

Vancouver selected centre Wilson Bjorck (No. 143), winger Gabriel Chiarot (No. 175) and centre Matthew Lansing (No. 207). Calgary picked wingers Ethan Wyttenbach (No. 144) and Aiden Lane (No. 176), defenceman Jakob Leander (No. 208) and winger Yan Matveiko (No. 211).

Winnipeg wound up with winger Viktor Klingsell (No. 156), defenceman Edison Engle (No. 188) and winger Jacob Cloutier (No. 220).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.

By Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press