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-selected Chinese player in the league at No. 33 overall.
“Unreal moment for my family, for hockey (in) China,” Wang said as he sported his new team’s teal threads. “Dream-come-true moment. 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 after speaking with a friend already in Canada.
Wang moved to the Toronto area in 2019, and after returning 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 attending Boston University in the NCAA. “I never really knew this game, how it’s supposed to be played until 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 to catch up.
“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.
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 in the draft with the final selection of the second round, 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, acquiring 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, acquiring John Gibson 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 Montreal 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.”
The Winnipeg Jets took centre Owen Martin (No. 92) and Ottawa chose winger Blake Vanek (No. 93) to close out the third round.
