Chinese families in Kelowna for hockey camp

Shanghai boasts a population of more than 25 million, but it only has seven sheets of ice and 400 registered hockey players.

To help learn the game, 13 families have traveled to Kelowna to attend hockey camps with their young players.

China is looking to position itself on the hockey world stage in advance of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by cultivating more young athletes who play the sport well.

Players with the Shanghai Warriors are spending a week learning Canada’s official winter sport at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy.

While most don’t speak English, they have no problem repeating drills on the ice.