Simon Wang’s hockey journey has landed him in San Jose.
The Beijing native was selected by the Sharks in the second round, 33rd overall, in the NHL Draft on Saturday in Los Angeles.
Wang, 17, grew up in China before moving to Toronto at age 12 to pursue his hockey career. He’s the third Chinese-born player ever to be selected in the draft.
The six-foot-five, 215-pound defenceman first started skating at four years old and immediately fell in love with hockey.
While he recorded just two points (both assists) in 32 games with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season, scouts are enamoured by his combination of skating and size.
“I might still be behind a lot of guys in this draft, but my potential, what I can become as a player, that’s what’s really exciting about me,” he said at the combine earlier in June.
Sportsnet analyst Jason Bukala had Wang rated as the 64th prospect in his most recent rankings, projecting him as a bottom-pairing defenceman.
“He needs time, but he has a baseline skill set that is attractive in this range of the draft,” Bukala wrote.
