Yuen showcases an awesome skill set

Gifted defenceman also a gifted pianist

By: Ed Tait Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Sep. 13, 2011

PENTICTON, B.C. -- He is big. He is strong. And like the rest of his fresh-faced teammates he more than occasionally showcases a skill set that has made him a legitimate National Hockey League prospect.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2011 (5196 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PENTICTON, B.C. — He is big. He is strong. And like the rest of his fresh-faced teammates he more than occasionally showcases a skill set that has made him a legitimate National Hockey League prospect.

Now, if the stereotype for such a player is built around this template — singularly-focused, hockey-obsessed Canadian teenager — then the Winnipeg Jets’ prospect wearing No. 60 here is an absolutely perfect fit.

But then there are these tidbits that we can guarantee are unique to Zach Yuen’s resume and make him one of the most intriguing prospects participating in the five-team Vancouver Canucks Young Stars tournament:

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Zach Yuen warms up in Penticton. — MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Zach Yuen warms up in Penticton.

— He is a classically trained pianist with a diploma from the London College of Music.

— He took figure skating lessons from former Olympic silver medallist and world champion Karen Magnussen.

Oh, and there’s this: as a player of Chinese descent — his father moved to Canada from Hong Kong when he was 13 — if Yuen makes it to the bigs one day he could help open up the NHL to a billion fans in an untapped market.

“There’s actually a lot of people from China, from Hong Kong and locally in Vancouver who are following him now,” said his father, Charles, looking remarkably fresh after driving six hours from Vancouver to watch his son at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

“I’ve seen a lot of Facebook pages, articles, blogs about him… it’s good. Hopefully this encourages more Chinese to play hockey as well. It’s very exciting.”

A swift-skating, 5-11, 196-pound defenceman, Yuen is likely headed back to the Tri-City Americans where head coach Jim Hiller hopes to increase his workload and lean on the 18-year-old for leadership.

Yes, Yuen’s career arrow is definitely aiming skyward.

“I’m like every kid who dreams of playing in the NHL,” Yuen said Monday. “This is another step towards that goal.

“I’d love it if one day I could be a role model for Chinese Canadians. Most of them come over and they don’t speak too much English. It’s hard for them to immerse themselves in a game they don’t understand. But there is a growing interest in the Chinese community, especially in places like Vancouver and Winnipeg where there are big communities.

“Hopefully there will be a couple guys who are of Asian descent playing at the highest level and that will inspire other Chinese Canadians to participate in hockey. There was nobody like that for me growing up, hopefully I can grow into that role model.”

His father is a part-time sportscaster for a Cantonese/Mandarin channel in Vancouver who has done some research on Chinese players in the game. According to NHL records, Larry Kwong — who was born in Vernon, B.C. — was the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL, suiting up for one game with the New York Rangers in 1947-48.

After immigrating, Charles first picked up the game playing ball hockey in the back alleys with his new friends, before moving on to roller hockey and, finally, to the game on ice. He had his son on the ice at 22 months and Zach began taking figure skating while playing hockey at the age of eight.

In between all that, he found the time to learn the piano. And not just banging out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but excelling to the point that three judges flew to Vancouver from London when he was 13 to watch him play and grant him a diploma.

“He told me when he was eight years old he thought the piano helped him with his hockey,” said his father. “He understands rhythm and timing.”

“And when you have to sit there for a couple of hours,” adds Zach, “it sure helps with your discipline.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait