Kevin He made hockey history on Tuesday when the NHL's Winnipeg Jets signed him to a three-year entry-level contract, making He the first player born in China to sign with an NHL team.

Born in Beijing, the 18-year-old forward became the highest China-born player ever drafted in the NHL when the Jets selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He, who first experienced organized hockey after his family moved to Montreal when he was six, is currently playing in his third season with the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League. This season, he has recorded 43 points, with 23 goals and 20 assists in 29 games, and was named team captain in October. 

Song Andong was the first China-born player selected in the NHL when the New York Islanders drafted him in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft, but Song never signed an entry-level contract.