Milano Cortina 2026: Get to Know Team China

The Para ice hockey competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will see the world’s best teams gather from 7 to 15 March at the newly built Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena – a state-of-the-art venue designed to showcase the speed and physicality of the sport. 

The compact schedule and single-venue format will create an intense atmosphere, with multiple high-stakes matchups unfolding across nine days of competition.

The eight qualified teams will be divided into two preliminary-round groups of four. Each team will play three round-robin games within its group, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. The remaining teams will move into classification games to determine fifth through eighth place. With little margin for error in a short tournament, every shift — and every point — will matter.

Here’s a look at No. 4-seeded China.

Background 

China has quickly become a top-four world contender since securing a bronze in its Paralympic debut on home ice at the Beijing 2022 Games. Known for its rapid development — its programme only began in 2017 and moved from the C-Pool to A-Pool in just four years — the team is now a serious threat for the podium in Milano Cortina, too.

At the last World Championships, China finished third in scoring efficiency, but second in penalty minutes. If the team can minimize its penalties and its core three — star forward Yi Fen Sheng and key contributors Zhidong Wang and captain Yutao Cui — are at the top of their game, it has as good a chance as any team to medal at these Games.

A program that only started in 2016, China skyrocketed through the rankings to become a perennial top-4 threat.

A podium at @milanocortina26 is the next target.#ParaIceHockey #Paralympics @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/VKoLU6bDTV

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) February 14, 2026

Roster Breakdown

Forwards: Hongyu Chen, Yutao Cui, Hongguan Li, Wenxu Liu, Dianpeng Qiu, Yifeng Shen, Xiaodong Song, Jintao Tian, Zhidong Wang

Defenders: Hang Che, Haoran He, Zhi Lyu, Jujiang Wang, Zheng Zhang, Zhanfu Zhu

Goaltenders: Yanzhao Ji, Wei Wang

Paralympic Winter Games History 

2022: Bronze medal

Athlete to Watch

Yi-Feng Sheng, nicknamed the “Connor McDavid of Para ice hockey,” lost both legs in a train accident when he was younger. Entering these Games, he is China’s leading goal scorer and a top reason they’ve remained central to the international stage since winning bronze at their home Games in 2022. At last year’s World Championships, he led the team with 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists).

Matchup to Watch

China vs. USA on Tuesday, 10 March: The last time these two teams faced on the Paralympic stage, the USA defeated China, 11-0, in the semifinals in Beijing four years ago. The Chinese have eagerly been awaiting this game and will be out for revenge with nothing to lose in a game that could determine whether or not they advance to the playoffs this time around.