Haoxi Wang, just four years old, was captivated when he attended his first hockey practice at a Beijing ice rink, particularly fascinated by the players` gear. With sticks, uniforms, and bulky pads, faces concealed behind helmet cages, they looked like superheroes. This was before the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, a time when hockey was still a niche sport in China and playing in the NHL seemed like an impossible dream.
“It was definitely the gear,” recalled the 6-foot-5, 215-pound defenceman, still growing, known as Simon, during the NHL pre-draft scouting combine in Buffalo. “Something just clicked inside me, and I fell in love with the game,” Wang added. “Immediately, I told my mom I needed to get on the ice right away. And I think I was probably on the ice the very next day.”
This began a journey that led the 12-year-old Wang to move to Toronto, progressing through the junior leagues to eventually play for the OHL`s Oshawa Generals. Now 17, he is seen as a potential early to mid-round selection in this weekend`s NHL draft in Los Angeles.
“This feels like a dream come true,” said Wang, who is ranked 34th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. “If I had told myself four or five years ago that I would be here, at the NHL combine, I would have thought I was just dreaming.”
But he isn`t. Given Wang`s impressive size and skating skills, more exciting moments likely await. He is poised to become only the third player born in China – and potentially the highest drafted – to be selected in the NHL draft.
He would join a short list of Chinese players drafted. Andong Song, selected 172nd overall by the New York Islanders in 2015, was the first. He never played professionally after two seasons in the USHL. The second was Kevin He, also from Beijing, who appears on track for the NHL. Drafted 109th by Winnipeg last year, He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Jets in December.
Kevin He benefited from starting organized hockey at age six when his family relocated to Montreal. In contrast, Wang`s real introduction to competitive play happened when he arrived in Toronto at 12, encouraged by a friend who had moved there earlier to play hockey. It was a significant culture shock for Wang, leaving his family and unable to speak English.
“I think courage is the word to describe it,” said Oshawa general manager Roger Hunt. “The only language he understood was hockey. And he had a strong desire to play. At that age, he had the foresight to say, `If I want to achieve this, I need to be there.`”
Wang proved to be a quick learner. Despite being relatively raw, his talent was almost immediately evident. The only uncertainty for Hunt when drafting Wang in the fifth round of the 2023 OHL 16-year-old draft concerned his eligibility, as he had already committed to Boston University. The NCAA previously prohibited players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) from playing college hockey before removing that rule in November.
Wang made his OHL debut with Oshawa in December. While he recorded a modest five assists in 53 games on a team that reached the OHL finals, Wang seemed to belong. “Nobody walking into that arena would have thought, `This kid has only played hockey for five years,`” Hunt stated. “He has such excellent footwork, skates incredibly well, his edges, everything is sharp.”
Looking ahead, Hunt anticipates Wang taking on a significantly larger role as Oshawa`s top defenceman next season. Wang`s progress is ahead of schedule, partly thanks to the recent NCAA rule change. His agent, John Walters, mentioned that the original plan for last season was for Wang to remain in the OJHL, where he was already performing strongly with four goals and 22 points in 38 games.
Walters added that it was Wang himself who pushed for the move to the OHL to accelerate his development by facing tougher competition. “I had a few NHL teams suggest, `You should have kept him in junior; there would have been more mystery about him,`” Walters recalled. “And I replied, `But that wouldn`t have helped him improve.` Simon isn`t concerned about being drafted in the first, second, or third round. His focus is on getting better. He needed to challenge himself at a higher level.”
Walters took Wang under his wing soon after he arrived in Canada, with Walters` father often driving the young player to practices and games. Another source of inspiration was Wang`s mother, Willa, whose son`s passion for hockey led her to become an ice-rink developer in China and later purchase the Ontario Junior Hockey League team her son played for.
The current plan is for Wang to play in the OHL next season before moving on to Boston University, where his older brother completed his postgraduate degree.
“When I was 12, I had a very innocent belief that I would make it,” he stated. “But I`m here now, and I`m not taking any moment for granted. I`m still learning and might still be behind many players, but my potential and what I can become as a player—that`s what truly excites me.”
Neville Woodall 
Duncan Priestley