TEMPE, Ariz. / BEIJING, China – On Tuesday, Sun Devil Athletics announced Sun Devil Hockey will travel to China in July 2019, becoming the first-ever NCAA hockey program to visit the city of Beijing -- one of the world's largest cities. In 1985, Brown University became the first NCAA program to visit China. The Sun Devils will play several games, experience Chinese culture and landmarks, visit the American Embassy and ASU alumni in Beijing, and trek to Shanghai -- another one of the world's largest cities -- over the course of two weeks.
"Our goal as a university and as an athletic department is to be innovators on and off the field of play, and this opportunity for Sun Devil Hockey to be the first NCAA hockey team to make a footprint in China fits that mantra," said Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. "There are nearly 4,000 Chinese students currently enrolled at ASU, and we continue to expand partnerships with top Chinese universities and the Federation University Sports China, so it is evident the ASU connection with China is strong and is fitting for our hockey program to champion the sport in another non-traditional market."
"We are extremely excited that ASU will make this historic trip to China this summer," said Longmou Li, Vice President of Communications for the Kunlun Red Star. "Most importantly, it will be the first time an NCAA hockey team will come to China, bringing friendship and partnership between two sides of the Pacific. It will also help us to continue our 'best hockey, best education' philosophy to promote hockey in China."
ASU will play the Kontinental Hockey League's Kunlun Red Star on Friday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m. GMT+8/4:30 a.m. MST, followed by the Chinese Olympic Team on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. GMT+8/4:30 a.m. MST. The next week, the Sun Devils plan to play a third game on Friday, Aug. 9.
"Our program is very fortunate to have this opportunity to represent Arizona State University and NCAA hockey in China," said Sun Devil Hockey head coach Greg Powers. "Our student-athletes will not only have the chance to play elite teams but will also encounter once-in-a-lifetime cultural experiences, so we're extremely excited and grateful."
Sun Devil Hockey features one of just three Chinese-born players at the NCAA Division I level in redshirt freshman Peter Zhong, who grew up learning the game of hockey in Beijing. The forward played for China U18 in the World Junior Championships (D2B) in 2013-14 and 2014-15, followed by Team China at the World Championships (D2A) in 2017-18.
Zhong will play for the Chinese National Team on Aug. 3 against his college teammates.
The coaching staff will also participate in a youth clinic during the second week, which China will dub Chinese Hockey Education Week.
For the last three years, Arizona State University and the Pac-12 has partnered with the Federation University Sports China (FUSC) and the Chinese Scholarship Council for the coaching education alliance. Sun Devil Athletics' coaches from various sports have trained hundreds of Chinese coaches on numerous topics, including coaching strategy, game preparation, film review, practice structure and more. The curriculum also includes sports psychology, strength training, nutrition, public relations and marketing, and tours of both on- and off-campus athletics facilities.
The coaching education alliance is part of the Pac-12 Global five-year relationship to foster exchange between the United States and China through sports and education. The FUSC is China's solely authorized national organization for university sports and operates under the Ministry of Education.
The NHL is also making efforts to grow the sport in Asia and recently invested in their China Games series that began in 2017 with an exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks – the first NHL game ever played in China. It began a yearly series for six of the next eight years, including the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames in 2018 in Shenzhen and Beijing – the first-ever NHL game played in Beijing. In 2015, the NHL sent league employees and alumni to work with local schools and the Chinese government to provide tools to teach the game. The NHL also now has a satellite office located in China.
These initiatives are strategically building momentum towards the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The NCAA allows programs to schedule a preseason foreign trip once every four years and this is the first-ever international trip for Sun Devil Hockey. Men's basketball has traveled to China in 2013, and will again in 2019 as part of Pac-12 Global.
More than 10,000 international graduate and undergraduate students attend ASU, with the largest group – about 3,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students – from China.
With a focus on global engagement, university president Dr. Michael Crow has been vocal about ASU's relationship with China to build connections and collaborate innovatively on sustainability, agriculture and food production, trade, and broader scaled problems.
"Our goal as a university and as an athletic department is to be innovators on and off the field of play, and this opportunity for Sun Devil Hockey to be the first NCAA hockey team to make a footprint in China fits that mantra," said Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. "There are nearly 4,000 Chinese students currently enrolled at ASU, and we continue to expand partnerships with top Chinese universities and the Federation University Sports China, so it is evident the ASU connection with China is strong and is fitting for our hockey program to champion the sport in another non-traditional market."
"We are extremely excited that ASU will make this historic trip to China this summer," said Longmou Li, Vice President of Communications for the Kunlun Red Star. "Most importantly, it will be the first time an NCAA hockey team will come to China, bringing friendship and partnership between two sides of the Pacific. It will also help us to continue our 'best hockey, best education' philosophy to promote hockey in China."
ASU will play the Kontinental Hockey League's Kunlun Red Star on Friday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m. GMT+8/4:30 a.m. MST, followed by the Chinese Olympic Team on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. GMT+8/4:30 a.m. MST. The next week, the Sun Devils plan to play a third game on Friday, Aug. 9.
"Our program is very fortunate to have this opportunity to represent Arizona State University and NCAA hockey in China," said Sun Devil Hockey head coach Greg Powers. "Our student-athletes will not only have the chance to play elite teams but will also encounter once-in-a-lifetime cultural experiences, so we're extremely excited and grateful."
Sun Devil Hockey features one of just three Chinese-born players at the NCAA Division I level in redshirt freshman Peter Zhong, who grew up learning the game of hockey in Beijing. The forward played for China U18 in the World Junior Championships (D2B) in 2013-14 and 2014-15, followed by Team China at the World Championships (D2A) in 2017-18.
Zhong will play for the Chinese National Team on Aug. 3 against his college teammates.
The coaching staff will also participate in a youth clinic during the second week, which China will dub Chinese Hockey Education Week.
For the last three years, Arizona State University and the Pac-12 has partnered with the Federation University Sports China (FUSC) and the Chinese Scholarship Council for the coaching education alliance. Sun Devil Athletics' coaches from various sports have trained hundreds of Chinese coaches on numerous topics, including coaching strategy, game preparation, film review, practice structure and more. The curriculum also includes sports psychology, strength training, nutrition, public relations and marketing, and tours of both on- and off-campus athletics facilities.
The coaching education alliance is part of the Pac-12 Global five-year relationship to foster exchange between the United States and China through sports and education. The FUSC is China's solely authorized national organization for university sports and operates under the Ministry of Education.
The NHL is also making efforts to grow the sport in Asia and recently invested in their China Games series that began in 2017 with an exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks – the first NHL game ever played in China. It began a yearly series for six of the next eight years, including the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames in 2018 in Shenzhen and Beijing – the first-ever NHL game played in Beijing. In 2015, the NHL sent league employees and alumni to work with local schools and the Chinese government to provide tools to teach the game. The NHL also now has a satellite office located in China.
These initiatives are strategically building momentum towards the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The NCAA allows programs to schedule a preseason foreign trip once every four years and this is the first-ever international trip for Sun Devil Hockey. Men's basketball has traveled to China in 2013, and will again in 2019 as part of Pac-12 Global.
More than 10,000 international graduate and undergraduate students attend ASU, with the largest group – about 3,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students – from China.
With a focus on global engagement, university president Dr. Michael Crow has been vocal about ASU's relationship with China to build connections and collaborate innovatively on sustainability, agriculture and food production, trade, and broader scaled problems.