Kevin, he is not just a hockey perspective. When the Winnipeg Jets set him up 109th General in 2024He was the highest player ever selected in China. When Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff signed him, he became the First to sign a NHL contract. That alone makes him a pioneer. But his story is not just about breaking the ground for Chinese hockey. It is about a child who has made a winding journey – from Beijing to Montreal to Niagara – and who is now on the edge of making NHL history.
It is a rare performance for the Niagara University alumni to reach the NHL – only Sean Bentivoglio, who played a single match for the New York Islanders in 2008-2009, and Matt Ryan, who was suitable for 12 games with De La Kings in 2005-06, did this. As far as our research suggests, Ryan is the only Niagara player who records an NHL point and yields a single assist.
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Here are seven cool things about Kevin.
Cool thing 1. He breaks the ground for Chinese hockey
The moment he was prepared, he wrote history. Born in Beijing, he is the first player born in China to sign an NHL contract and set up the highest ever. That is not just a personal milestone – it’s a breakthrough for Chinese hockey. The NHL has been looking for ways to grow the game in China, and he is a real face on that dream.
Cool thing 2. He moved from Beijing to the OHL
He started playing on outdoor courts in Beijing, but by the time he was six years old, his family had moved to Montreal, where he first fell in love with the Canadian version of the game. A few years later he played AAA hockey in Toronto for the North York Rangers, one of the rigorous youth hockey circuits that are there. From there he landed with the Niagara Icedogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where scouts started his all-round game seriously.
Cool thing 3. The leadership of he comes naturally
By his third year in Niagara he not only played well – he wore the “C.” The Icedogs trusted him and he didn’t have to scream to get respect. His teammates describe him as stable, compiled and reliable. He appears, competes and sets the tone. It is that silent, self-assured leadership style that often carries further than the loud, Rah-RAH species.
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Cool thing 4. He can also score
Leadership is great, but production is important. He answered that too. In 2023–24 he achieved 75 points in 62 matches, including 36 goals. He showed that he could finish plays, but also find teammates. His attacking game continues to develop, and the jets appreciate his benefit and player who can both score and improve the people around him.
Cool thing 5. He has traveled three -language and well
He is not just a hockey story – he is a worldwide story. He speaks Mandarin, English and French, making him triple for his 20th birthday. That helped him to adjust where he is gone, whether it was the early years in Montreal, AAA in Toronto or lead a junior team in Niagara. It also gives him an extra way to make contact with fans, teammates and children who follow his way back to China.
Cool thing 6. He has become a role model for others
For children in China – or somewhere hockey is not the first sport on the list – his path is proof that the NHL is not out of reach. He knows that he is bearing that responsibility, but he doesn’t get pressure. Instead, he treats it as an opportunity. He already shows children that you can come from outside the traditional hockey brooding and can still make it if you work hard enough.
Cool thing 7. He is working ethic runs deep
Talk to coaches such as the Scott Arniel van de Jets, and the word you keep hearing is ‘dedication’. He does not cut corners, he does not assume that something owes him, and he is always the first on the ice for exercises. That is what brought him from Beijing Rinks to the OHL, and what will eventually bring him to the NHL. Skill opens the door, but work ethic keeps him open – and he has both.
What is the next step for Kevin?
At the age of only 19 he can still be done, but it is already in Winnipeg that he could push a bottom-six role earlier than expected. Perhaps one day the fans of Jets will see him standing in line next to Adam Lowry. He sees the game well, takes smart decisions under pressure and has the kind of balance that coaches Trust coaches. Even if his first NHL minutes are in a limited role, his benefit extends beyond that.
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His impact can be just as important from the ice. He not only represents himself – he represents a new chapter for hockey in China. If it succeeds, this can arouse interest in the game in a country with a huge potential. For Winnipeg, that means a player who brings both skills and international attraction. For the competition it is a glimpse of the future.
He doesn’t have to be hard about it. He does not have to make daring promises. Kevin, he does what he has always done – tracing, hard work and making the results speak for himself. Jets fans? They will keep a close eye on.
[Note: I’d like to thank Brent Bradford (PhD) for his help co-authoring this post. His profile can be found at www.linkedin.com/in/brent-bradford-phd-3a10022a9]
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