After Beiti University won the championship in the CUHL professional group with a total victory record, I chatted with the team's main striker Wang Jing for a long time. As one of the few players with professional resumes in the tournament, Wang Jing has personally experienced the development of Chinese ice hockey in recent years, and also has his own views on the development of CUHL and Chinese ice hockey.
Hockey teenager - Wang Jing
Thanks to Harbin's good ice and snow culture, Wang Jing began to contact ice roller skating from a young age, and at the age of 9 and a half, he was exposed to ice hockey, and then began to receive professional training. By watching high-level competitions such as the NHL, Wang Jing will learn some technical moves and try to imitate them in training and competitions.
At the age of 12, Wang Jing watched the NHL game live in the United States for the first time , New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins , and his love of ice hockey deepened.
Wang Jing as a child
As a player born in 2001, on the road of professional ice hockey, Wang Jing started a little later than most of his peers, but he went further and surpassed many players who practiced earlier than himself, becoming the best of the new generation of local players.
At the age of 14, Wang Jing went to the United States to play ice hockey and was rapidly improved. In 2016, at the age of 15, Wang Jing represented China's U18 men's ice in the World Youth Championships, showing outstanding strength and eventually helping the team win the championship. After the U18 World Championships, Wang Jing was selected to compete in the Russian Youth League (MHL).
At MHL, Wang Jing has been exposed to more excellent players and has recognized that there is still a gap in strength, but this has inspired Wang Jing to constantly challenge himself. In addition to working harder in daily training, Wang Jing often grits his teeth and closely follows his opponent in the game when he is at a disadvantage.
"Even if you are weaker than your opponents in terms of speed and confrontation, you cannot be afraid of confrontation and competition." From the age of 16 to 18, Wang Jing's physical fitness has been continuously improved, and his technical level and experience have also been rapidly accumulated.
In 2019, Wang Jing, who followed ORG to the MHL, finally ushered in a career leap forward, with a significant increase in playing time, and became the first Chinese player to be selected for the MHL All-Star Game after the regular season.
The MHL All-Star jersey that belongs to Wang Jing
Talking about MHL's three-year experience, Wang Jing bluntly thanked this league that has come out of many excellent players to temper himself. At that time, Wang Jing had the next goal in mind: to become the first Chinese player to participate in the KHL All-Star Game. According to Wang Jing's original development trajectory, being selected for the national team should also be a matter of certainty.
But then the arrival of the epidemic disrupted Wang Jing's personal career development plan. "On the professional track, only by constantly competing and communicating with high-level opponents can we grow rapidly. Originally I wanted to continue fighting, but the epidemic has changed its pace. At the beginning of 2020, Wang Jing returned from Russia and has not been able to go abroad to compete in professional leagues since then.
Wang Jing represented the Origen Youth Team in the All-Star Race
In the youth national team, Wang Jing is the current top scorer. When it comes to the experience of fighting for the country, Wang Jing said that this is an unparalleled sense of honor. "Every time I go out for the country, the goal is to win glory for the country, carrying a sense of mission." Since the first time I was selected for the national brand, such an idea has inspired me. ”
Representing the national team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has been Wang Jing's biggest goal in the past two years. But unfortunately, in the end, Wang Jing did not qualify for the winter Olympic men's ice national team roster. However, for Wang Jing, who is less than 22 years old, there is still a long career path in the future. Although he was not selected for the Winter Olympic men's national ice team, Wang Jing is still very happy to see that ice hockey has been more widely disseminated in China by taking advantage of the opportunity of the Winter Olympics.
At present, Wang Jing is studying at Beijing Sports University and is expected to graduate in 2024, and the plan to play abroad has temporarily faded out of Wang Jing's schedule. In addition to his studies, his daily life is more of a training in the national youth team. Wang Jing hopes to maintain his best state at all times and be ready to fight for the country at all times. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, a large number of events have been cancelled, and he has fewer and fewer opportunities to show himself.
Wang Jing is dressed in a national team uniform
In Wang Jing's view, his early growth experience benefited from the excellent ice and snow culture of his hometown harbin. However, Wang Jing admitted that even in Harbin, which has a strong foundation, it is not easy to embark on the road of professional ice hockey, and his growth in the most critical period of 16-20 years old is inseparable from the training of foreign leagues.
In recent years, with the loss of hockey talent in Harbin, it has become more difficult for latecomers to repeat their career paths. Although the fan base has expanded year after year, professional hockey is still in the minority.
"At present, the most lacking event in China is the lack of sponsors who have been involved in ice hockey for a long time," Wang Jing said. As one of the few events in China at present, CUHL is a very good platform for more college students to participate in ice hockey, and also encourages more colleges and universities to carry out ice hockey.
Represented North Sports University in CUHL
Through the understanding and participation of the event, Wang Jing said: "CuHL Sunshine Group competition, although most of the players are after college to start to contact ice hockey, the level and professional ice hockey players may not be comparable, but many of them also play very well, you can see that the competition in each session is more intense."
There are many university ice hockey teams in China, and such an event can also make this sport more important to the school. Many sunshine players can fall in love with the project of ice hockey through the drive of the game, and become practitioners, which has played a role in promoting the development of ice hockey. ”
A total of 5 players who represented Beijing Sports University in CUHL this year have professional experience. However, according to the rules of the tournament, up to 2 professional players can play at the same time, so multiple professional players can only take turns. But even so, their strength is still a big gap with ordinary college athletes, and they are the core figures who drive the entire team on the field.
In Wang Jing's view, the venue of this year's CUHL competition is also very outstanding, reaching the highest level. In recent years, there have been more and more ice rinks in China, which is a good thing for the development of ice hockey. But on the other hand, there need to be more clubs, more competitions. At the same time, for players, the quality of professional training is equally important.
At present, in the national youth team, the vast majority of players have played in professional leagues, and only a few have not experienced professional league baptism. When asked if CUHL can emerge players who have the ability to study on hockey, Wang Jing believes that it is still difficult for the time being.
For younger students, they also need more systematic competition exercises. Wang Jing hopes that there will be more places to support the development of ice hockey, and more competitions can emerge. "CUHL's level of competition is improving every year, and in the future CUHL will definitely be better integrated with professional leagues."
Around 2019, more than 30 Chinese ice hockey players competed in the Russian league. Under the epidemic, players need to face many uncertainties when they go to Russia to play in the league. However, Wang Jing said that if he has the opportunity, he is still very willing to return to the Russian ice hockey arena again, and hopes that more and more Chinese players can learn and grow in high-level leagues in the future.
The training of the national youth team is still an important part of Wang Jing's daily life, and the dream of being selected for the national team has always been in Wang Jing's heart. He hopes to wait for the opportunity to make his dream come true with his own efforts. He also looks forward to the better development of Chinese ice hockey, whether as a professional athlete or a lover, everyone can find happiness from love and realize the value of life.