Simon Wang became the highest-drafted player born in China when the San Jose Sharks selected him with the first pick of the second round of the NHL draft on Saturday.

Wang’s family moved from Beijing to Toronto when he was 12.

The 6-foot-5 defenseman surged forward in his development over the past year, showing more than enough potential to entice the Sharks with the 33rd overall selection.

Wang is only the third Chinese-born player ever drafted by the NHL.

Wang walked the red carpet with his mother, and he got to see his brother for the first time in nearly two years.

Red Wings acquire Gibson from Ducks

The Detroit Red Wings have acquired veteran goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks.

Detroit sent backup goalie Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder to Anaheim for a player whose name has been in trade rumors for several years.

No salary was retained.

Gibson getting moved is the first domino to fall in offseason market in net with several NHL teams from Edmonton to Philadelphia and beyond looking for help at hockey’s most important position.

SAINTS

St. Paul splits twinbill split against Louisville

Noah Cardenas’ walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Saints a 5-4 win in the second game of a doubleheader, salvaged a twinbill split for the hosts against Louisville at CHS Field.

Cardenas’ blast countered a late rally by the Bats, and made a winner out of reliever Jarret Whorff, who blew the save in the top of the seventh by allowing Louisville two runs to tie.

St. Paul lost the first game 7-3, wasting one of Marco Raya’s best starts of the season.

He allowed two earned runs on five hits, but the Saints’ hopes were doomed as reliever Anthony Misiewicz gave up a grand slam homer as part of a five-run sixth that spurred the Bats to a 7-3 win.

Yunior Severino hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to account for the bulk of the host’s offense.

St. Paul (3-2) and Louisville (2-3) finish off their series today, with first pitch scheduled for 2:07 p.m.

motorsports

Norris takes pole for Austrian Grand Prix

Lando Norris said he felt back to his old self after taking pole position by more than half a second in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Norris is seeking a strong result in Austria after colliding with his McLaren teammate and Formula 1 title rival Oscar Piastri at the last race in Canada.

Norris crashed out and immediately apologized, while Piastri extended his standings lead.

Piastri rued his bad luck in third place on Saturday after a yellow flag meant he had to abandon his final lap.

Norris set the pace throughout the final part of qualifying and a tremendous final lap increased his advantage over second-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to 0.521 of a second.

soccer

Aurora win, complete unbeaten regular season

The Aurora completed another unbeaten campaign in the USL W Heartland division with a 2-0 defeat of Rochester at the TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

Eli Rapp and Natalie Tavana scored for the Aurora in their Minnesota derby matchup to conclude the regular season with a 10-0-2 record and a plus-25 goal differential.

Next up for the three-time division champions is the USL W playoffs. The Aurora’s opening-round opponent and game day/time have yet to be announced.

Palmeiras wins World Cup knockout opener

Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo.

Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil’s national team, dribbled through the defense with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John’s net.

Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but couldn’t get a goal.

In the second quarterfinal, Chelsea overcame a late equalizer to defeat 10-man Benfica 4-1 in added time.

Cardoso may not play in Gold Cup quarterfinals

American midfielder Johnny Cardoso is uncertain for Sunday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica because of an ankle injury.

The 23-year-old started friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland this month, didn’t dress for the Americans’ tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago and made substitute appearances in group stage games against Saudi Arabia on June 19 and Haiti last Sunday.

Pogba returns with Monaco after ban

Former France midfielder Paul Pogba joined Monaco on a two-year contract in a bid to relaunch a career derailed by injuries and a doping ban.

The former Juventus and Manchester United player will play in the French top flight for the first time.

Monaco finished third in Ligue 1 last season and Pogba, who has been without a club since leaving Juventus last year, gets the chance to play Champions League soccer again providing Monaco gets through qualifying.

Ex-Juventus president seeks plea bargain deal

Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli has requested a plea bargain deal that would give him a 20-month sentence in a false accounting trial that contributed to his downfall.

Former Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved requested a deal of 14 months and former Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici and chief legal officer Cesare Gabasio each requested 18 months.

Prosecutors began investigating in 2021 whether Juventus, which is listed on the Milan stock exchange, cashed in on illegal commissions from transfer and loans of players.

— From news services