Not wanting to be embarrassed in the 12-team ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, the hockey-light host, has filled out its squad with players from the greatest hockey-playing nation on earth.
No less than 11 Canadians are on China’s Olympic Hockey team (alongside seven Americans and a Russian player, as well). Only six Chinese-born players on the roster.
Every single player on the Chinese Olympic roster is from the HC Kunlun Red Star club team, the first-ever Chinese team in the Kontinental Hockey League. The team was created with an eye on the future in 2016, just a few months after Beijing was named the 2022 Olympic Winter Games host.
Here’s a deeper look at the Canadian 11, including their Canadian hometowns and the many clubs their career arcs have taken them to. And yes, throughout much of Canada, you can bet on the Olympics, including hockey games. An expanded Ontario sports betting marketplace will launch on April 4.
The 11 Canadians on China’s Olympic hockey team
Parker Foo, LW, Edmonton, Alberta
Parker Foo, 23, was drafted in the fifth round 144th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. However, he has yet to play an NHL game. Foo joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2020-21 season. Previously, he played for:
- KC Shamrocks and KC Voyageurs in the NAHL U15
- CAC Canadians in the AMBHL
- Bonnyville Pontiacs and Brooks Bandits in the AJHL
- Union College in the NCAA
Foo recorded seven goals and 10 assists in 35 games for the Kunlun Red Star in the 2021-22 season. His brother Spencer is also on the team.
The Foos’ father is from Guyana and their mother is from Drumheller, Alberta. Parker is listed on the Chinese roster under his Chinese name, Shuai Fu.
Spencer Foo, RW, Edmonton, Alberta
Spencer Foo, 27, signed an entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames as an undrafted college free agent in 2017. However, he has only played four NHL games, scoring two goals for Calgary in the 2017–18 season. Foo was assigned to the Flames American Hockey League affiliate Stockton Heat during training camp and called up for just four games during the season.
He was one of the AHL’s Player of the Week award winners in January 2018. In 2019, the Flames tendered Foo a qualifying offer when his entry-level contract expired but he chose to sign with Kunlun instead. Foo joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2019–20 season. Previously, he also played for:
- CAC Canadians in the EMHA U15, AMBHL, AMMHL, REMHL U18, and AMHL
- Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL
- Union College in the NCAA
Foo has recorded 76 points in three seasons with the Kunlun Red Star. His 14 goals and 19 assists in 48 games make Foo the Red Star’s leading scorer for the 2021-22 season. Spencer Foo’s name on the Olympic roster is Jiang Fu.
Jason Fram, D, Vancouver, British Columbia
Fram joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2019-20 season, playing half the season with the Kunlun Red Star’s Supreme Hockey League affiliate Kunlun Red Star-BSU Beijing. Previously, Fram played for:
- Greater Vancouver Canadians in the BCEHL U18
- Richmond Sockeyes in the PIJHL, Spokane Chiefs in the WHL
- San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, Allen Americans in the ECHL
- University of Alberta in the Canadian USports league
Fram recorded four goals and 10 assists in 48 games for the Kunlun Red Star in the 2021-22 season.
Fram, 26, has Chinese national status. His mother was born in Singapore, and his great-grandparents were born in mainland China.
Luke Lockhart, C, Burnaby, British Columbia
Lockhart joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2017-18 season. Previously, he played with:
- Burnaby Bulldogs in U15 AAA
- Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL
- University of British Columbia in the Canadian USports league
Lockhart recorded 11 goals and 10 assists in 53 games for the Kunlun Red Star in the 2020-21 season, his most productive with the team. In the 2021-22 season, he posted seven goals and nine assists in 48 games.
Lockhart, 29, is considered a Chinese heritage player as his mother is Chinese.
Paris O’Brien, G, Coquitlam, British Columbia
O’Brien, 21, played eight games in goal for the Kunlun Red Star in the 2021-22 season, his first with the team after a couple of seasons split between its Supreme Hockey League affiliates Kunlun Red Star-BSU Beijing and KRS Heilongjiang. O’Brien actually began his career with Kunlun as a member of the KRS Junior MHL club. He previously played for:
- Delta Hockey Academy U17 Prep team in the CSSHL
O’Brien posted a 1-6-0 record in net for the Kunlun Red Star this past season.
Ryan Sproul, D, Mississauga, Ontario
Sproul, 29, was drafted 55th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Sproul signed a three-year entry-level contract with the team, and a two-year contract once it expired, but was traded to the New York Rangers in 2017.
Overall, Sproul has played just 17 NHL games, spending most of his time as a pro with AHL affiliates. Sproul led all OHL defensemen with 66 points playing for the Soo Greyhounds in the 2012–13 season. He was named to the OHL First All-Star Team and won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the most outstanding defenceman in the OHL. Sproul has also played for:
- Vaughan Kings in the GTHL U16 and GTHL U18
- Vaughan Vipers and Bramalea Blues in the OJHL
- Grand Rapids Griffins, Hartford Wolf Pack, Toronto Marlies, Laval Rocket, and Hershey Bears in the AHL
He joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2019-20 season. Sproul recorded six goals and 18 assists in 48 games for the team this past season after nine goals and 16 assists in 47 games a season prior. Sproul had no connection to China before joining Kunlun and his Chinese residency made him eligible for the team.
Ethan Werek, C, Markham, Ontario
Werek, 29, was drafted 47th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers. However, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011 and assigned to the team’s AHL affiliate. His contract expired at the end of the 2013–14 season and since he’d yet to make his NHL debut, the Coyotes did not offer him another contract.
Werek played another year in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and was invited to the Boston Bruins training camp, but never made the big club. He bounced around the ECHL and AHL before finally landing with the Kunlun Red Star in the 2019–20 season. Werek has played for:
- Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL U16
- Stouffville Spirit in the OPJHL
- Kingston Frontenacs in the OHL
- Portland Pirates, Charlotte Checkers, Texas Stars, and Belleville Senators in the AHL
- Florida Everblades and Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL
- HC Ocelari Trinec in Czech Republic
Werek recorded just seven goals and eight assists in 45 games for Kunlun Red Star this past season after a career-high 15 goals and 17 assists in 53 games a season prior.
Werek’s grandparents were born in China and his Chinese name is Wei Ruike.
Tyler Wong, RW, Airdrie, Alberta
Wong, 25, joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2019-20 season. Previously, he played for:
- Airdrie Xtreme U15 AMBHL team
- AC Avalanche U16 AMMHL team
- UFA Bisons U18 AAA AMHL team
- Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL
- Toronto Marlies and Chicago Wolves in the AHL
- Quad City Mallards in the ECHL
Wong recorded 15 goals and 16 assists in 62 games in his first season with Kunlun Red Star. This past season he booked 14 goals and 14 assists in 48 games. Wong’s father is Chinese.
Brandon Yip, RW/C, Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Yip was drafted 239th overall in the 2004 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. He has the most NHL experience amongst the Canadians on the Chinese Olympic team. Yip has played parts of four NHL seasons with the Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and Phoenix Coyotes.
All told, Yip has recorded 29 goals and 27 assists in 174 NHL games between the Avalanche, Predators and Coyotes. A series of injuries seemed to derail his NHL career and Yip played in the AHL and Germany before joining the Kunlun Red Star for the 2017–18 season.
Yip also previously won the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship with Boston University. Yip has also played with:
- Ridge Meadows Flames in the PIJHL
- Coquitlam Express in the BCHL
- Lake Erie Monsters, Portland Pirates, and Norfolk Admirals in the AHL
- Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL
- Adler Mannheim and Düsseldorfer EG in the DEL
- Jukurit in Liiga
Yip’s best year with Kunlun Red Star was the 2018-19 season where he scored 21 goals and recorded 15 assists in 62 games. He also had a 31-point season in 2019-20 and 27 points in 46 games this past season.
Yip, 36, is the captain of the team and, as he told BU Today, is “here to grow the sport in China. There’s not a better place than the platform of the Olympics to show everyone how great this sport is. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.”
Yip’s parents are Canadian but his grandparents on both sides were born in China, which makes him eligible to play for China internationally. His Chinese name is Ye Jinguang.
Zach Yuen, D, Vancouver, British Columbia
Yuen, 28, first joined the Kunlun Red Star in the 2016-17 season. He has also played with its Supreme Hockey League affiliates Kunlun Red Star-BSU Beijing and KRS Heilongjiang in subsequent years. Yuen was one of the first players of Chinese descent to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft, selected by the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.
Previously, he played for:
- Greater Vancouver Canadians U18 BCEHL team
- Tri-City Americans in the WHL
- Toronto Marlies in the AHL
- Orlando Solar Bears, Wheeling Nailers, Gwinnett Gladiators, Atlanta Gladiators, and Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL
Yuen has recorded six goals and 16 assists in parts of five seasons with Kunlun Red Star and its affiliates. Yuen’s father is from Hong Kong and mother is from the Guangdong Province in China.
Ty Schultz, D, New Westminster, British Columbia
Schultz joined the Kunlun Red Star Supreme Hockey League affiliate Kunlun Red Star-BSU Beijing in the 2019-20 season. He played 21 games for the big club this past season, posting a goal and an assist. Previously, he played for:
- Burnaby Winter Club U15 PCBHL team
- Greater Vancouver Canadians and Vancouver NW Giants U18 BCEHL teams
- Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL
Schultz, 24, was born in Canada to a German father and Chinese mother. His name on the Chinese roster is listed as Zheng Enlai.
Jake Chelios, Honourary ‘Canadien’
It’s also worth noting that one of the Americans on the Chinese team, and likely the biggest name on the roster, is an honorary Montreal Canadien of sorts.
That’s because Jake Chelios is the son of Montreal Canadiens legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios. Chelios played for the Canadiens for six years in the 1980s, winning the Stanley Cup, the James Norris Memorial Trophy, becoming a perennial All-Star, and the Canadiens’ co-captain. He also won two more Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and played in four Winter Olympics for the US.
Jake Chelios was not picked in the NHL Draft, but has played five games for the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL and previously signed a pro contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. He played for Michigan State University and the Chicago Wolves, Charlotte Checkers, and Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL before joining Kunlun Red Star in the 2019-20 season.
Chelios has 31 points in three seasons with the Chinese team.
