Invited to watch his first hockey practice at an ice rink in Beijing, Haoxi Wang was no different than any impressionable, wide-eyed 4-year-old being fascinated by the equipment the players wore. They resembled superheroes with sticks, uniforms and bulging pads, their faces hidden behind helmeted cages. This was before the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, when hockey was a niche sport in China and the NHL a mere pipe dream. “It was definitely the gear,” the 6-foot-5, 215-pound — and still growing — defenseman who goes by Simon recalled at the NHL pre-draft scouting combine in Buffalo earlier this month. This marked the start of a journey that saw a 12-year-old Wang move to Toronto and work his way up the junior ranks to play for the OHL Oshawa Generals. At 17, he is considered a candidate to be an early to mid-round pick in the NHL draft in Los Angeles this weekend.