The Winnipeg Jets made NHL history on December 17th, 2024, as they signed prospect Kevin He to a three-year, $975,000 AAV, entry-level contract, making him the first Chinese-born player to sign a contract with an NHL team.

He, 18, was born in Beijing and moved to Montreal with his family when he was six. He then moved to Toronto at age 12 where he began playing Triple-A hockey in North York with the North York Rangers in the GTHL.

He was selected 109th overall in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL draft. He is the second Chinese-born player to be drafted into the NHL. Andong Song, taken in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL draft by the New York Islanders, was the first but never signed a contract.

He is currently playing in his third season with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, where this season he was named the team’s captain on October 22nd.

So far this season, He has scored 23 goals and has tallied 20 assists for 43 points with the IceDogs. Throughout his junior career, He has scored 75 goals and has recorded 55 assists for a total of 130 points in 159 career OHL games.

He sits fourth in the OHL for goals and 14th in the points race.