China
24-year-old defenseman Zimeng Chen calls Beijing, CHN home, and got into 104 games over two seasons with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, where he collected three goals and 11 assists.
This season, Chen has suited up in six games for Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinential Hockey League. Chen’s career includes a stint with the Chinese National Team in 2018-19 as it competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation Division 2A World Championship. He was credited with an assist in five games.
21-year-old forward Juncheng Yan hails from Toronto, ON, and played 88 games over three seasons with the Victoria Grizzlies. He collected 16 goals and 24 assists before aging out at the end of last season.
Yan then headed to Kunlun Red Star, where he has played 17 games this season. He has yet to register a point with Kunlun in 2021-22 and has a plus/minus rating of -9.
31-year-old forward Cory Kane is from Irvine, CA, and was a member of the Vernon Vipers from 2008 to 2010. During his time in the BCHL, Kane scored 42 goals and added 55 assists through 119 games. In both seasons with the Vipers, Kane and the rest of his teammates won the Fred Page Cup and RBC Cup.
Kane, who is a dual American-Chinese citizen, is in his fifth season with the Red Star. In 40 games this season he has four goals and five assists.
36-year-old forward Brandon Yip is a native of Maple Ridge, BC. He played in 99 games with the Coquitlam Express from 2003 to 2005, scoring 51 goals and adding 80 assists.
Of the members of Team China who are BCHL alumni, Yip is the only player drafted by a National Hockey League club as the Colorado Avalanche came calling in the eighth round of the 2004 NHL Draft.
Following a four-season NCAA Division I career with Boston University, Yip joined the Avalanche for parts of three seasons. He finished his NHL career during the 2013-14 season after playing in 174 games with Colorado, Nashville, and Phoenix. He scored 29 times and added 27 assists during his NHL career.
This season, Yip has played 46 games with Kunlun Red Star, his fourth season with the club, and third as captain. He is third in points with 13 goals and 14 assists.
Canada
27-year-old forward Adam Tambellini hails from Edmonton, AB, and played two seasons in the BCHL. While with the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles, Tambellini scored 63 goals and 58 assists over the course of 107 games.
The New York Rangers selected Tambellini in the third round, 65th overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft. He didn’t play an NHL game but suited up for 283 American Hockey League games with the Rangers’ top affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, as well as the Belleville Senators.
This season, his second with Rogle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, Tambellini has 18 goals and 17 assists through 32 games. This is his second taste of international competition as a member of Team Canada, having previously played for the gold medal-winning 2019 Spengler Cup team.
20-year-old forward Daniel Carr is from Sherwood Park, AB, and played in 22 games with the Powell River Kings during the 2009-10 BC Hockey League season. He scored 10 times and added 17 assists in the regular season before helping the Kings to the Fred Page Cup final, scoring a further 15 goals and 11 assists in 23 playoff games.
Undrafted to the NHL, Carr did find his way into 117 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators, and Washington Capitals. His NHL stat line shows 16 goals and 21 assists. He has also played in 238 AHL games.
This season, Carr skated in 18 games with HC Lugano of the National League in Switzerland, putting up nine goals and eight assists. It is his second season playing with Lugano, having been loaned to the team last season for eight games.
Also not drafted to the NHL, Street managed to find his way to “The Show” with the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, and New Jersey Devils. Through seven different seasons and 59 NHL games, Street has scored three goals and added six assists. He has also played in 523 AHL games, garnering 439 points.
Street took his game overseas for the first time in 2021-22, suiting up with EHC Munchen of the Deutsch Eishockey Liga for 31 games. He has 13 goals and 17 assists, putting him into the top-30 scorers in the DEL this season. He also has 13 points in 10 games of the Champions Hockey League in Europe.
19-year-old forward Kent Johnson, who is from Port Moody, BC, spent parts of three seasons with the Trail Smoke Eaters from 2017 to 2020 where he scored 61 goals and added 86 assists in 111 games. He has been added to Team Canada’s alternate roster for the Beijing Games.
Johnson was selected fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2021 NHL Draft and is into his second season of NCAA hockey with the University of Michigan. Through 23 games, he has six goals and 24 assists. He also played two games for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship before it was cancelled, scoring one goal.
