First Chinese Player Ever Taken In The NHL Draft

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — For the first time, a Chinese player has been selected in the NHL Draft.

Andong Song was selected by the New York Islanders with the No. 172 pick in the draft on Saturday. The defenseman started playing hockey on tiny rinks in Beijing when his mother was trying to find him a sport, then his family moved to Canada when he was 10.

Song was a member of the varsity team at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, and plans to attend Philips Andover Academy in Massachusetts next year as a postgraduate student.

Song says being the first Chinese draftee comes with a lot of pressure, but says it's "good pressure" and he hopes to make his homeland proud.