Zifang Wang (#7) celebrates a goal for China U18s during their promotion-clinching victory over Latvia in January.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
You think you know Team China. A roster leaning heavily on Chinese heritage players and dual nationals, just like we saw at the Beijing Olympics, right?
Not this time. The class of 2024 is getting set to tackle a World Championship return with an entirely home-grown roster. It’s the next step for the national program as it seeks to create a broader base for women’s hockey across the country.
Head coach Scott Spencer led the team to promotion from Division IA in his first year in charge. Since then, he’s added Division IIA gold with the U18s on their return to IIHF play after the pandemic.
Strikingly, he’s done it with rosters that steadily increased the number of Chinese-trained players and stepped back from dual nationals. In Beijing, Brian Idalski’s team had 13 “imports”. Last year, in Shenzhen, Spencer’s first line-up won promotion with seven of them. In Utica, we’ll see up to nine new faces, drawn from try-outs that involved 11 of this season’s successful U18 team.
Not this time. The class of 2024 is getting set to tackle a World Championship return with an entirely home-grown roster. It’s the next step for the national program as it seeks to create a broader base for women’s hockey across the country.
Head coach Scott Spencer led the team to promotion from Division IA in his first year in charge. Since then, he’s added Division IIA gold with the U18s on their return to IIHF play after the pandemic.
Strikingly, he’s done it with rosters that steadily increased the number of Chinese-trained players and stepped back from dual nationals. In Beijing, Brian Idalski’s team had 13 “imports”. Last year, in Shenzhen, Spencer’s first line-up won promotion with seven of them. In Utica, we’ll see up to nine new faces, drawn from try-outs that involved 11 of this season’s successful U18 team.
Fancong Meng (#15), Ziyu Zhao (#8) and Zifang Wang (#7) celebrating a goal for China U18s against Kazakhstan.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
“This year, the whole team will be homegrown,” Spencer stated. “We’re trying to develop home-grown Chinese talent.”
That talent could include the likes of Yifan Wang, just 16 years old, who led the U18s in scoring in Heerenveen in January. Goalie Grace Zhan (Jiahui Zhan), Beijing born but currently playing in Minnesota, comes with a big reputation. She was selected as the state’s top netminder after a stellar season that took Hill-Murray School to the final for the first time since 2015. An unused back-up last year in Division IA, she could play a big role here before moving to her first year at Dartmouth College in NCAA Division I next season.
Then there are changes at home: “This season we had a pro women’s league in China for the first time,” Spencer added. “We had seven teams from different regions. In the past, hockey has tended to be concentrated in the north, around Harbin and Qiqihar. This time, we had teams from all areas of China. Now our roster has three or four players from Szechuan, which is in the south. We want to grow the game across the whole country.”
Another part of that nationwide vision is the establishment of the KRS Shenzhen club at the Universiade arena in that sub-tropical southern city. In 2022, Shenzhen was nominated as host for the next three years of Division IA play – “but then we messed it up!” by winning promotion at the first attempt.
Not that this implies China’s rise is ahead of schedule. “There was a thought that we might be in IA for a few years, but we have a lot of good players, younger players. The future is bright here. The CIHA is bringing good leadership and a commitment to grow hockey in China.
“For me, as a Canadian, that’s great to see. There’s no success without investment and they are willing to do it the right way: keep working, keep developing younger players. We want a program that’s sustainable over multiple years, not just having a bit of success than going straight back down again.”
That talent could include the likes of Yifan Wang, just 16 years old, who led the U18s in scoring in Heerenveen in January. Goalie Grace Zhan (Jiahui Zhan), Beijing born but currently playing in Minnesota, comes with a big reputation. She was selected as the state’s top netminder after a stellar season that took Hill-Murray School to the final for the first time since 2015. An unused back-up last year in Division IA, she could play a big role here before moving to her first year at Dartmouth College in NCAA Division I next season.
Then there are changes at home: “This season we had a pro women’s league in China for the first time,” Spencer added. “We had seven teams from different regions. In the past, hockey has tended to be concentrated in the north, around Harbin and Qiqihar. This time, we had teams from all areas of China. Now our roster has three or four players from Szechuan, which is in the south. We want to grow the game across the whole country.”
Another part of that nationwide vision is the establishment of the KRS Shenzhen club at the Universiade arena in that sub-tropical southern city. In 2022, Shenzhen was nominated as host for the next three years of Division IA play – “but then we messed it up!” by winning promotion at the first attempt.
Not that this implies China’s rise is ahead of schedule. “There was a thought that we might be in IA for a few years, but we have a lot of good players, younger players. The future is bright here. The CIHA is bringing good leadership and a commitment to grow hockey in China.
“For me, as a Canadian, that’s great to see. There’s no success without investment and they are willing to do it the right way: keep working, keep developing younger players. We want a program that’s sustainable over multiple years, not just having a bit of success than going straight back down again.”
Team China head coach Scott Spencer behind the bench during January’s promotion-winning U18 campaign.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation
Amid the change, there is continuity. Defender and team captain Yu Baiwei is a great example of continuity. One of just three players who represented her country at the Vancouver Olympics and returned on home ice in Beijing in 2022, she’s also the last woman standing from the Chinese World Championship teams that played at this level in 2007-2009.
“It’s pretty special for her to return,” Spencer said. “And the experience Baiwei brings is huge. This year’s team is going to have a lot of young players, a lot playing at this level for the first time. Baiwei is a very calm leader, she makes people feel comfortable with what they’re doing and that’s huge for those younger players. It just settles those nerves early on.”
China is in a group with Japan, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. Several of these opponents are familiar from the 2022 Olympics, when the Dragons came close to making the knock-out phase. However, Utica 2024 brings a very different group – and with it, a longer term mission.
“We have to be realistic,” Spencer admitted. “This isn’t just a ‘happy to be here’ thing, we want to win hockey games.
“But I would assume we’ll be the youngest team in the tournament this year and we’re competing with the best in the world. Our expectations are to win hockey games, but we’re also thinking about a bigger picture of qualification for the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.”
China’s opening game is on Thursday, April 4 against Japan.
“It’s pretty special for her to return,” Spencer said. “And the experience Baiwei brings is huge. This year’s team is going to have a lot of young players, a lot playing at this level for the first time. Baiwei is a very calm leader, she makes people feel comfortable with what they’re doing and that’s huge for those younger players. It just settles those nerves early on.”
China is in a group with Japan, Sweden, Germany and Denmark. Several of these opponents are familiar from the 2022 Olympics, when the Dragons came close to making the knock-out phase. However, Utica 2024 brings a very different group – and with it, a longer term mission.
“We have to be realistic,” Spencer admitted. “This isn’t just a ‘happy to be here’ thing, we want to win hockey games.
“But I would assume we’ll be the youngest team in the tournament this year and we’re competing with the best in the world. Our expectations are to win hockey games, but we’re also thinking about a bigger picture of qualification for the Olympics in 2026 and 2030.”
China’s opening game is on Thursday, April 4 against Japan.