The officially established national ice hockey club (file photo)

A national ice hockey club was officially established in China on May 16. The club, an upgraded version of China's national hockey team association, will assemble players on a long-term basis, organize games and train players through competitions.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Beijing, held jointly by the Chinese Winter Sports Federation (CWSF), the Chinese Ice Hockey Association, Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau (HPSB) and HC Kunlun Red Star ice hockey club. Vice-director of CWSF, Wang Zhili, pointed out that the national club is one of the most important achievements made during the ongoing reform of ice hockey in China. 

The national ice hockey club is an achievement made possible only through collaboration. The HPSB will serve as a talent pool for the club, while HC Kunlun Red Star, the first Chinese team to compete in top ice hockey league KHL, will provide customized training plans for the club. In addition, each party that contributed to the club's formation will offer opportunities for the club to participate in foreign ice hockey leagues.

According to Wang, the teams in the national club will compete on behalf of both the country and HC Kunlun Red Star, which will greatly increase game frequency. This means the team can supplement training with competitions, Wang said.

The captain of China's women's national hockey team, Bai Wei, described her expectations for the new club and upcoming games.

"Our performance will soon be improved by participating in high-level competitions, and I hope we can make a giant leap forward in the future," she said.