2025 NHL Draft notebook: Wang emerging as intriguing prospect

The 2025 NHL Draft will be held in June at a site to be determined. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile of defenseman Haoxi Wang with King of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

Haoxi Wang was introduced to hockey when he was 4 years old in his hometown of Beijing, China.

"The reason I started playing was because my kindergarten friend, who started playing before me, said the sport was really cool, the equipment was nice, and that being on skates was a great feeling," Wang told NHL.com. "I went to check out his practice and told my mom I had to be out there as soon as possible.

"I started playing defense right away since our coach felt a player of my size would fit well there."

Now 12 years later, Wang (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) has become the most heavily scouted player eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft from the Ontario Junior Hockey League. In his second OJHL season, the left-shot defenseman leads King defensemen with 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 22 games. Last season, when the franchise was based in Brantford, Ontario, he had seven assists in 28 games.

Wang, who goes by the name Simon in North America, moved to Canada when he was 12 and has been ascending the development ladder ever since. His mother, Willa Wang, has served as owner of the King/Brantford franchise the past two seasons and also runs a youth hockey club in China.

"For a player with a 6-foot-5 frame, he's arguably one of the best skaters in the league in terms of getting up ice, getting down the ice, in transition skating, gap control, and pivoting forward to backward," King coach Mark Joslin said. "And he's consistently been our most physical defenseman; he's not afraid to mix it up and give it back when guys are trying to take liberties with him.

"He's going to make mistakes, as every 17-year-old does, but he's not afraid to make a play. I think the development we've seen in less than a year is what scouts are going crazy over."

Wang is a student of the game, watching as much hockey as he can and paying close attention to the forwards and how they scan and create offense.

"My biggest strengths are my size, skating ability and hockey IQ," Wang said. "I feel I'm a more physical player this year since I got stronger during the summer, and I'm more confident with my ability to generate offense from the blue line and opening up lanes.

"I kind of figured out the risk vs. reward side of the game, so defensively, I try to simplify my game as much as possible."

In addition to Joslin, King assistant coaches Nikolai Borschevsky and Patrick Piacentini have played pivotal roles in Wang's maturation this season. Borschevsky played 162 NHL games in four seasons (1992-96) with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars, and coached in the Kontinental Hockey League for 13 seasons before joining King this season.

"Nikolai has a lot of years of experience and runs our power play," Wang said. "He helps me prepare for opposing team systems, with a special attention to details. We go over video so that when we're in the game, everything comes natural and I feel more at ease."

Piacentini works with the King defensemen.

"He helps with my boxing out, and things he might have seen the night before that he can help me with," Wang said.

Wang, who is committed to Boston University for next season, received a B rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list in October and is projected as a possible second- or third-round NHL draft pick.

"We first noticed him last year as this tall, lanky kid who was physical and full of compete," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "In my first viewing this year, I couldn’t believe how smooth he was. He's right up there with the best skaters in the draft, and at 6-foot-5, that's remarkable. You throw in the physicality and compete, and you have a kid who's very intriguing to NHL clubs. His puck game is improving and he's putting up some decent numbers."

Joslin wants to make sure Wang isn't putting too much pressure on himself to play perfect.

"He's driven, passionate, and his work ethic and preparation are impeccable," Joslin said. "Sometimes his preparation is overkill, especially in between games when he analyzes things too much. I'm trying to get him away from that so it's a work in progress. He can't worry about every little mistake. There's a reason there are between 20-25 scouts a game ... he's a special player."

Wang appears to be getting the message.

"I definitely put pressure on myself, especially last year, and that sometimes led to being too scared to make plays," he said. "This year after a mistake, I shake it off. I'm out to finish the game strong and then, in the end, look back at it and try to be as positive as I can. And next time, how can I fix it?"

PROSPECTS ON THE RADAR (listed alphabetically)

Roger McQueen, C, Brandon (WHL): McQueen (6-5, 197) currently is out of the lineup and undergoing rehabilitation for an upper-body injury, but has 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in eight games in this third full season in Brandon. An A-rated skater on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, the right-handed shot has a fantastic motor and scoring touch.

Jack Nesbitt, C, Windsor (OHL): Nesbitt (6-4, 185) is a B-rated skater on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list. He has 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 18 games, leads Windsor in game-winning goals (three) and has been reliable on face-offs (54.8 percent). He plays a physical style, going to the tough areas of the ice to create offense. Nesbitt compares his style of game to Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn.

Joshua Ravensbergen, G, Prince George (WHL): Ravensbergen (6-5, 190) will participate in the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge on Nov. 26-27. The only goalie to earn an A rating on Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, he is 10-1-4 with a 2.96 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 15 games.