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Beijing Winter Olympics 2022
SportChina

Winter Olympics: with NHL superstars out, the Chinese men’s ice hockey team still faces incredibly tough competition

  • China’s men’s ice hockey team has been spared embarrassment now the NHL has pulled out, but their competition remains tough
  • Canada, the US and Germany are all seen as medal favourites heading into Beijing 2022 and some wild cards could make these squads incredibly potent

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China could face Owen Power, a Canadian prospect who is projected to become an NHL star. Photo: AP
Patrick Blennerhassett
While the announcement that National Hockey League players will not be attending the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing put a damper on many fans’ excitement for the Games, there is one team who should be secretly excited about the news: the Chinese men’s ice hockey team.
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The 32nd ranked squad, according to the International Ice Hockey Federation, will not have to face the best in the world. However there is still going to be a plethora of talent coming their way, as they face medal favourites US, Canada and Germany.

The Americans have already revealed their roster for Beijing 2022 and it is loaded with NCAA talent, 15 players to be exact. Multiple prospects have been drafted by NHL squads from Division I teams and the Olympics will give scouts another chance to look at potential players who could make the jump.

There are also eight players who are currently playing professionally in Europe in such leagues as Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (seen as the best league outside North America) and the Swedish Hockey League.

Chinese men’s team, currently playing for the Kunlun Red Star (in white) in the KHL, still have their work cut out for them at Beijing 2022. Photo: Xinhua
Chinese men’s team, currently playing for the Kunlun Red Star (in white) in the KHL, still have their work cut out for them at Beijing 2022. Photo: Xinhua

Six players on the squad have NHL experience and two are currently in the American Hockey League, the main feeder league for the NHL. They will have leadership and experience upfront from Nick Shore, who was a 2011 third-round draft pick by Los Angeles Kings. He played 299 games with five teams in the NHL, scoring 18 goals and 41 assists.

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They will also have Brian O’Neill, who currently plays in the KHL, as the lone returning Olympian from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games where the squad made it to the quarter finals.

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