Color of Hockey: He could be highest China-born player taken in NHL Draft

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Kevin He, a 17-year-old forward for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League. He could become the second player born in China ever to be selected in the NHL Draft.

Kevin He remembers being filled with amazement and pride as he watched a hockey player practice at the Ford Performance Centre outside Toronto a few years ago.

“I was working out at the gym at the Performance Centre and there’s a big glass wall, you can see who’s on the ice,” He said. “I took a peek, and I was, like, ‘Oh, my god. Crazy.’”

There was Andong Song, the first China-born player to be drafted by an NHL team, working on his game; Song was selected by the New York Islanders in the sixth round (No. 172) of the 2015 NHL Draft.

“I saw him one time skating with one of my coaches,” He said. “That was a pretty cool moment.”

He is poised to become the first China-born player since Song to be selected in the NHL Draft, and perhaps the highest ever. The 17-year-old forward for Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League is No. 89 on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings of North American skaters eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

“It would mean a lot to me and my family,” He said. “I think that me potentially being a role model and inspiration to younger players is something that would be really special and incredible to me.”

Song, who was a defenseman for the Lawrenceville (New Jersey) School when he was drafted, never played in an NHL regular season game. There are a growing number of people who believe He has a better chance to make it.

He is tied for the Niagara lead in scoring with 53 points (31 goals, 22 assists) in 64 games after being the team's fifth-leading scorer last season with 34 points (21 goals, 13 assists) in 66 games.

Niagara coach Ben Boudreau said He (5-foot-11, 182 pounds) has been a bright spot on a team that has undergone several managerial and coaching changes over the past two seasons and is last (17-40-7) in the 20-team OHL.

“No matter what the situation may be, losing streak, bad game, getting blown out, his effort level does not change,” said Boudreau, who became Niagara’s coach on Nov. 10 after Ryan Kuwabara was fired.

“The one thing Kevin doesn’t have going for him is he’s not in the spotlight on a top contending team where he’s got that type of high-end caliber to play with,” said Boudreau, the son of former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau. “Kevin’s had to take the load on by himself. I think this guy’s going to be a steal for whoever ends up drafting him. He’s going to be an impact player. He’s going to play professional hockey, for sure.”

NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said He’s speed and skating ability make him an intriguing prospect.

“He’s got that quickness and acceleration to pull away with the puck,” Marr said. “And then he’s also got that recovery speed. He can be that first forward back. Skating and hockey sense are his two strongest assets.”

Retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart told the “Niagara Sports Report with Rob Mawhood” in February that “He’s going to score 20 goals in the NHL.”

“People see the flashiness, the speed, the explosiveness, but for me, judging what makes a successful hockey player is just his work ethic,” Stewart told NHL.com, based on observing He since his youth hockey days in the Toronto area. “He’s one of those guys that you have to drag him out the gym, you have to drag him off the ice … I’m not making a comparison, but just the details that Jaromir Jagr does to get ready for a game, He does all those little things to get prepared. So it’s no fluke that He’s having success.”

He's hockey journey began in Beijing, where he was born. His father, Jason He, regularly took his son rollerblading. Bitten by the hockey bug while attending university in New Brunswick, the elder He wanted his son to play the sport.

He said his father started taking him ice skating at small rinks in Beijing malls when he was 4 years old. He said he got his first taste of organized hockey after his family moved to Montreal when he was 6.

“I was always fast, and I just love like the feel of the wind blowing my face and especially, when you're a kid you have a lot of energy,” He said. “I could fly. I think skating, to this day, is one of my greatest attributes.”

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.

“Both English and French were a challenge, but when you’re young, you learn pretty quick,” said He, who now speaks three languages fluently.

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.

He said his game resembles those of Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin and New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt.

But when He was younger, he tried to model his game after Hall of Fame forward Pavel Bure, who had 779 points (437 goals, 342 assists) in 702 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers from 1991-2003.

“My dad used to watch a lot of hockey, and Pavel Bure was his favorite player,” said He, who turns 18 on April 30. “Me and him started watching his highlights together, and his skating ability was just incredible. What he did with the Canucks was pretty much extraordinary.”

He has been working to inspire future generations of players as a volunteer for Hockey Equality, a nonprofit organization chaired by Stewart.

Its mission is to grow the sport by mentoring and lowering financial and other barriers that impact young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) players, boys and girls.

“I had a lot of guys to look up to, (Dallas Stars forward) Jason Robertson and guys like that,” He said. “For some of these young players that want someone to look up to or someone to mentor them, that’s one of the reasons why I want to be part of it.”