With its 172nd pick in the sixth round, the NHL's New York Islanders drafted Song Andong of Beijing, China, making him the first Chinese player drafted in the history of the U.S. pro hockey league during the second day of the 2015 NHL Draft on Saturday.

Song, 18, was formerly playing in the Beijing International Ice Hockey League (BIIHL) and the Oakville Rangers, a Canadian minor league team, before he decided to join the draft.

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"It feels great. Unbelievable experience. Really honored to be the first," Song told reporters afterward. "I wasn't really nervous until the Islanders got their fifth-round pick. After that, I was on my toes. It's the draft. You never know."

According to Yahoo Sports, Song started playing hockey when he was six years old. He was a sickly boy and his mother wanted him to try getting into sports to become healthier. Ice hockey became one of his choices and since he said he fell in love with the sport ever since.

He and his family moved to Canada when he was only 10 years old, and there he played for Oakville. When he turned 15, they moved again, this time in New Jersey where he played for Lawrenceville School before entering the draft.

With his prolific defensive skills, Song managed to become the vice-captain of the Lawrenceville varsity team.

ESPN reported that Song plans to enroll at Philips Andover Academy in Massachusetts and play college hockey in preparation for his eventual debut to the pro league.

"Being the first Chinese player, it's a lot of pressure from people back home, but good pressure," he said. "I hope that will motivate me to become a better player and hopefully I'll make them proud."

Song recalled how he began loving the game in the smaller hockey rinks of Beijing. It was a long way from there, and now he is finally realizing his dreams.

He also remembered that there were "not much support for the game" in China that time, as per Shanghai Daily. He came home last year and saw the vast improvement since he went away.

"It's just been tremendous how far they've grown," he said. 'I'm sure they'll keep trying to catch up to North America and Europe and Russia, but there's still a little gap."

TagsNFL Draft, Song Andong, China Hockey, NHL Rumors, New York Islanders