Zachary Yuen (born March 3, 1993, Chinese: 袁俊杰; pinyin: Yuán Jùnjié) is a Chinese-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[1] Yuen was one of the first players of Chinese descent to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft.

Zach Yuen
Born (1993-03-03) March 3, 1993 (age 31)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Defence Forward
Shoots Left
team
Former teams
Free agent
Toronto Marlies
Kunlun Red Star
National team  China
NHL draft 119th overall, 2011
Winnipeg Jets
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

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While playing with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL), Yuen became the first defenceman of Chinese descent to be drafted in the NHL Entry Draft after being selected by the Winnipeg Jets in 2011.[2][3]

After playing two more seasons with the Tri-City Americans, Yuen made his professional debut with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2013–14 season. He played three games with the Marlies before being assigned to the ECHL.[4]

Yuen signed a two-year contract with the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2016,[5] then became the first Chinese player to score for the Red Star during a 1–0 win over the Amur Khabarovsk.[6]

International play

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Yuen was called up to represent the China men's national ice hockey team for the 2022 Winter Olympics on January 28, 2022.[7]

Personal life

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Yuen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. His father immigrated from Hong Kong and his mother was born in Vancouver after his maternal grandparents immigrated from Hong Kong.[2]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 Tri–City Americans WHL 4 0 0 0 0 7 1 0 1 2
2009–10 Tri–City Americans WHL 42 1 3 4 19 22 1 1 2 12
2010–11 Tri–City Americans WHL 72 8 24 32 65 10 0 3 3 12
2011–12 Tri–City Americans WHL 66 12 26 38 46 15 1 4 5 18
2012–13 Tri–City Americans WHL 71 9 34 43 58 5 0 1 1 10
2013–14 Toronto Marlies AHL 3 0 0 0 4
2013–14 Orlando Solar Bears ECHL 48 1 11 12 30
2014–15 Wheeling Nailers ECHL 27 3 4 7 16
2014–15 Gwinnett Gladiators ECHL 35 6 10 16 38
2015–16 Atlanta Gladiators ECHL 17 1 7 8 10
2015–16 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 51 3 17 20 48 7 0 1 1 6
2016–17 Kunlun Red Star KHL 60 3 8 11 42 5 1 0 1 4
2017–18 Kunlun Red Star KHL 21 2 1 3 18
2017–18 KRS Heilongjiang VHL 8 0 0 0 4
2018–19 Kunlun Red Star KHL 35 1 1 2 41
2019–20 KRS BSU Beijing VHL 13 0 4 4 8
2021–22 Kunlun Red Star KHL 29 0 2 2 18
2023–24 Kunlun Red Star KHL 21 0 1 1 4
KHL totals 166 6 13 19 123 5 1 0 1 4

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2010 Canada Pacific U17 5th 5 0 1 1 6
2022 China OG 12th 4 0 0 0 0
2022 China WC D2A 27th 4 0 3 3 29
Junior totals 5 0 1 1 6
Senior totals 8 0 3 3 29

References

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  1. ^ "Zach Yuen". Elite Prospects.
  2. ^ a b Andrew McNicol (July 27, 2018). "Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Zachary Yuen, NHL's first Chinese draft, eyes success for China national team". South China Morning Post. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. ^ Postma, Eric (February 17, 2012). "Prospect Profile: Zachary Yuen". NHL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. ^ Buffery, Steve (November 10, 2016). "Former Marlies defenceman Yuen, now a KHLer, hopes to play for China at 2022 Olympics". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Возврат Тихонова и другие переводы". khl.ru (in Russian). July 18, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  6. ^ "Zach Yuen Makes History for KHL'S Chinese Expansion Team". The Hockey News. October 28, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "China's Olympic hockey hopes rest on North American talent". sports.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
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