Milpitas native Christopher Lai is making a name for himself in ice hockey, despite growing up in a city with no natural snow or ice. Lai ( No. 95) has been with the Ontario Jr. Reign since August 2023. He is among the top five scorers for the 2023-24 season, with 13 goals and 14 assists in 28 games played.
“As I grew up, I was always in sports and never realized ice hockey was a sport I could maybe play one day,” said Lai. “I mean who would think that [in] California? There’s barely any snow and no ice on the ground.”
Lai is a forward who can play center, left wing and right wing. The Jr. Reign play more than 50 games each season, according to Lai.
The Jr. Reign recently participated in the second annual USPHL Las Vegas Showcase, held Dec. 17-21 at the City National Arena, the practice home of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, last year’s Stanley Cup winners.
The team belongs to the Pacific division of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), founded in 2012. It is the largest amateur ice hockey league in the U.S., according to officials. The USPHL facilitates young players’ progress on to collegiate and/or professional hockey.
The USPHL now fields more than 11,000 players in more than 100 organizations across the U.S. Since its inception, the USPHL has sent over 5,000 players on to college hockey and more than 200 players to NCAA Division I hockey, and has had seven players drafted by the NHL directly from its National Collegiate Development Conference.
The Ontario Jr. Reign are currently no. 2 in their division and no. 6 in the USPHL conference and the league.
“It feels great to be around a group of guys that all have the same mindset and same work ethic,” said Lai. “We’re always looking to get better, take the game to the next level and win some hockey games.”
Lai chose the Ontario Jr. Reign in Southern California because he felt it was a good steppingstone toward his goal of eventually attending San Diego State University and playing college hockey.
“I chose to come here because it’s a great team for me to grow and get better every day at my craft,” he said. “Our team and coaches care for the players.”
“Chris has a terrific motor and strong skill set,” said Jr. Reign coach Jeremy Blumes. “He comes to us from a great AAA program north of us in San Jose, and we expect Chris to use all those assets to be an impact player.”
Lai joined his first hockey team in sixth grade. Now 19 years old, Lai began his club career with the Santa Clara Blackhawks 16U AA and then played for the San Jose Jr. Sharks 18U AAA.
“It’s been hard growing up because there are not a lot of people my age that I could relate to,” said Lai. “No one at school would understand. Hockey isn’t a sport; it’s a lifestyle.”
Lai’s family have been Sharks season ticketholders since “day one,” said Lai.
“Growing up, it was common for all the kids in the family to play street hockey or floor hockey in the house,” said Lai. “I remember being very little at my grandma’s house and playing with my whole family, playing floor hockey in the house using plastic bins as nets.”
Lai said his family has always supported his athletic endeavors. As a child he played Little League baseball and he played football all four years of high school, in addition to practicing hockey four to five times a week for three to four hours. His family spent a lot of time driving him to practices and games.
“I’m so grateful for all the sacrifice, love, and support [they] have given me in my last 19 years,” said Lai. “I could never say thank you enough.”
