A Filipino-American teener is making the Philippines proud as he was chosen among the draft picks for the Toronto Maple Leaf.
According to Balitang America, the 17-year-old Nick Robertson from Southern California was the first pick for the team’s National Hockey League (NHL) draft.
The 5-foot-9 Robertson hopes this could also pave way for hockey to grow its popularity in Asian countries.
In the Philippines, there’s little knowledge about how to play hockey. The lack of ice skating rinks also made it a challenge for those who wanted to pursue this sport.
But for Robertson, excelling in this sport is his way of setting an example for the other Filipino kids in California.
By influencing them to indulge in the sport, he thinks that it helps people see how hockey can also be an interesting sport to the Asian community.
Robertson, who stands 5-foot-9, may be considered as undersized compared to other hockey players, but to him, this is an advantage. He added he can move quicker, and it means more points for his team.
Robertson is the third hockey talent of Filipino descent who gets to be drafted in the NHL.