Sharks prospect Wang inspired by NHL games in home country 

LOS ANGELES -- When the NHL traveled to China in 2017 and 2018, the League hoped to capture the imagination of kids in a country where hockey was a fledgling sport.

The League played four preseason games over two years as part of the NHL China Games. The last was a 3-1 win for the Boston Bruins against the Calgary Flames at Cadillac Arena in Beijing on Sept. 19, 2018.

One of the kids in the stands was an 11-year-old aspiring hockey player named Haoxi Wang.

“I just remember the environment,” he said. “It was unreal seeing all these phenomenal talents out there. Just really wanted to be there one day.”

Now a 17-year-old defenseman known as Simon, Wang was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the first pick of the second round (No. 33) in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater on Saturday.

Wang became the third prospect born in China to be selected in the NHL Draft -- and the highest ever. Defenseman Andong Song went to the New York Islanders in the sixth round (No. 172) in 2015, and forward Kevin He went to the Winnipeg Jets in the fourth round (No. 109) in 2024.

“It's definitely special, and I hope I’ve inspired a lot of kids back home, and hopefully one day my record will get broken again,” he said. “Someone will go in the first round, maybe even top 10. That’s probably the ultimate goal for Chinese hockey, and I think there will definitely be someone that’s going to make a huge impact on the game.”

Wang fell in love with hockey at age 4 when he followed a friend to hockey practice. His mother, Willa, wanted to support him. She said the problem for Simon -- and for hundreds of other kids in their area interested in hockey -- was that it was 1½ hours to the closest rink. It was three hours roundtrip every day.

Willa and a couple of friends invested their own money to build a rink closer to home. It would have taken years to build an arena, so they found an existing soccer bubble and put ice inside. Willa became secretary of the local hockey association.

“She saw his interest in playing hockey and saw the interest of him just being on the ice,” said Enze Wang, a friend who grew up playing hockey with Simon. “That’s why she built the rink, built everything for Simon, just because she saw the interest of Simon, how determined he is.

“There was a difference between Simon and all of the other hockey players in terms of the level of dedication and how he really enjoyed the sport in general. It was just a different level of how he loved to play hockey.”

Simon thinks the first NHL game he attended was between the Flames and Los Angeles Kings at the building now known as Crypto.com Arena, next door to the theater in which he was drafted.

His mother isn’t so sure. Willia said he attended games on trips to L.A. and Boston as a kid, but the preseason game in Beijing was the big one. Simon attended with other kids from the local hockey association.

“It was the first time that Simon ever came so close to an NHL player,” she said, using Enze as an interpreter. “It was an inspiring experience for him. It was for all the Chinese hockey players in general who had a chance to see that game. It was an inspiring moment for them for sure.”

Willa said it was Simon’s idea to move to Toronto at age 12 to chase his dream. Not only did she support that, but she purchased Simon’s Ontario Junior Hockey League team. Simon had 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 38 games for King to start last season.

Looking for tougher competition, Simon signed with Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League on Dec. 3. He had two assists in 32 regular-season games and three assists in 21 playoff games, helping the Generals reach the league championship series.

“The summer before the season, I thought I was going undrafted, to be honest with you,” Simon said. “But it happened for a reason, and I worked so hard for this, and I think I deserve to be here.”

Simon (6-foot-6, 215 pounds) was No. 34 in NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, but he still has a lot of room to improve. He plans to play another season in the OHL before going to Boston University and eventually turning pro.

“I think I’m just getting started,” Simon said. “I never really knew this game, how it’s supposed to be played, until 14, so I’m always the underdog. I always have distance to catch up, so I still have the hunger in me, so I have the drive that I’ve got to get better every single day to catch up to them. That’s why I’m probably one of the most unique guys in the draft class right now.”

Unique, indeed.

After he was selected Saturday, he put on his Sharks jersey and did a round of interviews and photo shoots as his family and friends followed along. At one point, he did an interview over FaceTime with media back home in China.

“Simon’s a great example for not only the Chinese player but the Asian population in general,” Willa said with Enze interpreting. “Everything’s possible. If you try the best you can, there’s a possibility that as Chinese, as Asian people, playing hockey, one day you will make it if you believe.”