Kevin He made hockey history again Tuesday when the Winnipeg Jets prospect signed his entry-level contract, making him the first player born in China to sign a pro deal.
Born in Beijing, the 18-year-old forward became the highest China-born player drafted in the NHL when the Winnipeg Jets selected him in the fourth round (No. 109) at the 2024 NHL Draft.
“It’s a dream come true,” He said at Sphere Las Vegas after he was selected by the Jets. “It's incredible, a huge honor. I have a lot of fans texting me right before the draft, wishing me good luck and showing me support.”
Winnipeg originally had the No. 123 pick in the fourth round, but it traded that and its seventh-round pick (No. 219) to the Buffalo Sabres to move up and select He.
“We felt strong enough that he wasn’t going to be there if we waited much longer. Fortunately, we found an opportunity to jump up and grab them,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “When someone takes so much pride in their heritage and so much pride in their craft in the sport they want to be involved in, it says a lot about the person and the individual.
“If it can turn out to be a great story, that’s secondary. It is always nice to see the diversity in the game and help maybe grow the game more. It would be a great story if he can continue to make that next step.”
He is currently playing for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League, where he has 43 points (23 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games.
He said his father started taking him ice skating at small rinks in Beijing malls when he was 4 years old. He got his first taste of organized hockey after his family moved to Montreal when he was 6.
In addition to developing hockey skills, He said he had to learn two languages when he arrived in Canada because he mostly spoke Mandarin in Beijing. He learned French attending school in Montreal and English when he lived with relatives in Connecticut for several months.
When He was 12, his family moved to Toronto, where he began playing elite-level hockey in the North York AAA program.
Niagara chose He in the second round (No. 25) of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection Draft after he had 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 16 games for North York’s Under-16 AAA team.
Andong Song was the first China-born player selected in the NHL when the New York Islanders took him in the sixth round (No. 172) at the 2015 NHL Draft. Song never signed his entry-level deal.
