Checking in at the counter and waiting in line through customs for a 6957-mile flight is a common trip for Brody Po-Yu Hsiao, a first-year San Diego State student.
From his homeland, Taiwan, Hsiao is the goalkeeper for SDSU’s hockey club.
Hsiao, one of the goalkeepers on the SDSU ice hockey club, started representing the U18 Chinese Taipei National Team in 2019, then progressed to the U20 team. Now, Hsiao plays on the men’s team. But ultimately, he wants to be involved with player development.
Hsiao and his brothers have developed a system in the past two years that aims to bring student-athletes from Asia to North America.
“We want to send kids to North America at the high school level where they can develop as a hockey player and a student,” Hsiao said. “Our goal is to help them move on to the college level.”
However, that was not all he and his brother envisioned for the youths. Hsiao said that he wants them to go beyond just playing hockey by developing skills that prepare them for the future outside of sports.
“We also want to have them think about going into the workforce and getting a good education while playing the sport we love,” Hsiao said. “At the end of the day, we have the tools for them to go on with their lives, even if hockey is not there.”
Hsiao also hopes that this could create a chain reaction. As the youths developed into mature players, they would be able to foster more interest.
He admitted that his culture greatly influenced his decisions, as his focus is in Asia.
Hsiao was born in Vancouver, Canada, but his family moved to Taiwan when he was 2 years old. During that time, he learned to play hockey, following his brothers’ footsteps.
His family then returned back to Canada when he was 12 years old. While in Canada, Hsiao would finish high school and play academy hockey.
However, despite having dual citizenship, Hsiao considers Taiwan as his home.
“I have Taiwan as my No.1 priority and I wish to continue to help out my homeland in any sort of hockey development,” Hsiao said.
Whether it was office work or as a player, Hsiao wanted to help Taiwan reach a higher level in the competitions as a nation.
Despite setting his goals for the future, he also had plans for the present.
When Hsiao was in high school, he and his family visited his brother who played for the University of California, Los Angeles, and felt a connection with West Coast hockey, particularly in California.
So when Phil Bateman, head coach of the SDSU ice hockey club team, reached out to him, it was not a hard decision.
“(SDSU is) the first Division I team to ever be participating in as a Californian school, which is a level higher than my brother’s, so I guess I just kind of one-up him,” he said with a smirk. “It was kind of like a perfect fit.”
Even though SDSU’s ice hockey team is a club sport, work is still needed to be put into play at a competitive level.
“We don’t get the 6 a.m.-7 a.m. schedule as the football guys do,” Hsiao said. “(Practices and workouts still) take four to five hours out of our time during the day too. So, you know it is still a big commitment.”
Currently, he is the backup goalkeeper behind Garrett Fuller, but there is no hostile competition for the starting position. They are good friends on and off the ice.
“I focus on competing as much as I can, just developing myself,” he said. “Maybe the opportunity is not there right now, but once it comes, at least I know that I spend time focusing on myself and that I’m prepared when the opportunity comes.”
His passion for hockey is without borders.
