SUNRISE, Fla. — Defenseman Andong Song, 18, became the first Chinese player selected in the NHL Draft when the Islanders took him in the sixth round, 172nd overall on Saturday.
Back home in China, his selection was broadcast live on national TV as his family erupted in cheers in the BB&T Center. A crew from Chinese Central Television was in attendance to capture the moment.
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“I don’t know, it feels like I’m a star already,” Song said.
Born in Beijing, where he took up hockey at age 6, Song moved to Oakville, Ont., when he was 10 years old to play hockey for the Oakville Rangers AAA minor midget team. He has been attending prep school in Lawrenceville, N.J., since he was 15.
“It feels great. It’s been an unbelievable experience so far and I’m really looking forward to the next few years and I’m really honored to be the first Chinese player to be drafted,” Song said.
Song said he kept getting sick as a child, so his mother was trying to find a sport for him to get involved in. She picked hockey. He tried it and fell in love, despite the limited facilities in Beijing; two rinks in the city of roughly 11 million people in 2000 and far less than NHL standard dimensions.
“It was just sectioned off, like parts of the ice where we skated,” Song said. “That’s where I started.”
As the captain at age 10, Song led his Chinese team to a tournament win in Canada, which sparked the interest in him moving to overseas to play. His mother and little brother, who also plays hockey, still live in Beijing and he spends summer and Christmas breaks there.
Song models his game after future Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, admiring his skill and finesse at the position. He plans to continue his hockey career at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and then play at the NCAA level.
“Being the first Chinese player, there’s a lot of pressure from people back home so I hope that will motivate me to become a better player,” Song said. “Hopefully I’ll make them proud.”
Song said he thinks if Beijing becomes host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which it is expected to do, it will go a long way to raise support for hockey in China.
“When I first started playing there weren’t a lot of people there playing and there wasn’t much support for the game, but last year when I went back, it’s been like eight years since I’ve seen Chinese hockey, it’s just been tremendous how far they’ve grown and I’m sure they’ll keep trying to catch up to North America and Europe and Russia,” Song said. “There’s still a gap between them, but I’m sure if focus on hockey, we can definitely catch up.”