LOS ANGELES — The San Jose Sharks began day two of the NHL Draft by taking defenseman Haoxi (Simon) Wang with the 33rd overall pick at the start of the second round.
Wang was born in Beijing in 2007 and with the pick, became the highest-drafted Chinese-born player in NHL history.
The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Wang, who began hockey at an older age than some of the other players selected this weekend, is thought to be a bit of a project. But he is considered an exceptional skater who can kill plays in the defensive zone.
Wang, who turns 18 in July, had two assists in 32 games with the Oshawa Generals this past season. He is going to Boston University for the 2025-26 season, so the Sharks can give him time to develop at the NCAA level.
Wang was the 34th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. Longtime draft analyst Bob McKenzie of TSN had Wang as the 42nd best player available.
The Sharks spent their second pick of the second round, at No. 53 overall, on center Cole McKinney of the U.S. National Development Team Program, where he had 61 points in 60 games. The 18-year-old McKinney, who is going to the University of Michigan this fall, was the 32nd-ranked North American skater by Central Scouting.
The Sharks began the second day of the draft with seven picks. They also hold selections at No. 95 (from Edmonton) in the third round, No. 115 (from St. Louis via Columbus), and No. 124 (from Winnipeg viaDallas) in the fourth round, No. 150 (from Colorado) in the fifth round, and No. 210 (from New Jersey) in the seventh round.
The NHL Draft began on Friday, and the Sharks made two picks, taking Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa at No. 2 overall and Prince George goalie Josh Ravensbergen with the 30th overall selection.
As the second day began, the Sharks were not going to select primarily for need.
“At 33, we feel like we’re going to get a really good player there, someone we really like,” said Chris Morehouse, the Sharks’ director of amateur scouting, on Friday night. “Then we’ll kind of see how the board shakes out. Maybe there’s a need somewhere along the line. But for the most part, we’re trying to stay away from drafting for need.
“It’s not the NFL or the NBA. These kids are all going to need some time. When you get into day two, they need some time to develop and grow their games and get stronger and mature. So I think we’ll follow our board and our list and kind of take the guys as they come.”