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

The big defenseman is also confident he won’t hold that distinction for long.

“It’s an unreal moment for my family, for hockey in China,” Wang said. “Just a really surreal moment, a dream-come-true moment. ... I hope I’ve inspired a lot of kids back home.”

The 6-foot-5 blue-liner was chosen 33rd overall while the NHL concluded its newly decentralized draft with the final six rounds at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Wang’s family moved from Beijing to Toronto when he was 12 to further the career of a kid who attended the NHL China Games and became fascinated with a sport that has grown steadily in China.

Wang is only the third Chinese-born player ever drafted by the NHL, but he knows he won’t be the last. Kevin He was drafted 109th overall by the Winnipeg Jets last year, and Andong Song was chosen 172nd by the New York Islanders in 2015.

“Hopefully one day my record will get broken again,” Wang said. “Someone will go in the first round, even top 10.”

His real name is Haoxi Wang, but he plans to go by Simon during his career because “it’s simpler for North Americans,” he said.

Wang is a physical specimen who probably isn’t even done growing, but he surged forward in his hockey development over the past year, showing more than enough potential to entice the Sharks and several other teams.

Wang aspires to be an imposing two-way defenseman in the mold of Victor Hedman or Colton Parayko, but he had little draft buzz until the start of last season, when teams began to take notice of his rapidly developing skills. He soon joined the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and got even more exposure during their playoff run.

“Seeing so many scouts in the Junior A barn, it just started hitting me,” Wang said. “The summer before the season, I thought I was going undrafted, to be honest with you. But it happened for a reason, and I worked so hard for this.”

Wang got into hockey as a child, but he didn’t truly embrace the game until his family took a trip to Los Angeles eight years ago. The 10-year-old attended a Kings game right across the street from where he was drafted — although he fell asleep during the game, he recalls with a laugh.

Wang then attended that Bruins-Flames game played in Beijing in 2018, and he soon decided to move to Canada to boost his development.

By the time the Flyers are legitimate contenders again, they could have a lineup that makes the 1970s Broad Street Bullies proud.

Six of their nine selections in the draft stand 6-foot-3 or taller, including first-rounders Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. They overlooked smaller talent to get a 6-3 winger in Martone at No. 6 and traded up for Nesbitt, a 6-5 center, with the 12th pick.

“It’s a nice bonus that they’re both tall and will bring us size, as well,” GM Daniel Briere said. “It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn’t a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.”

Philadelphia’s second-rounders were 6-6, 232-pound defenseman Carter Amico and a trio of nice-sized forwards: Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi and Matthew Gard.

Aidan Park, the penultimate pick of the draft at No. 223, is product of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings system and nephew of former NHLer Richard Park.

The 19-year-old center for the Green Bay Gambles of the USHL got a big cheer as he walked to the stage upon being chosen by the Oilers in the seventh round.

A few minor trades materialized on Day 2 of the draft.

Buffalo dealt Connor Clifton and a second-round pick to the Penguins for Conor Timmins and Isaac Beliveau.

Washington acquired Declan Chisolm from Minnesota for a swap of picks and minor-leaguer Chase Priskie.

The Capitals also signed 23-year-old forward Justin Sourdif for $1.65 million over two years after sending a second-round pick to two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida for the minor leaguer with four games of NHL experience.

North of the border, the Flames extended 6-foot-6 Kevin Bahl to a six-year deal worth just over $32 million, while the Jets shored up their blue line depth by giving Haydn Fleury $1.9 million over the next two seasons.