Max Westergard could become second player of Kenyan descent to play in the NHL

Max Westergard was one of the youngest draft-eligible prospects. The Flyers scooped up the winger early in the fifth round.

But that's not the most interesting fact about him. While Westergard is a native of Finland and represents the country nationally, his mother is from Kenya. It's not often that players from the East African nation make it to the NHL. Only one other player of Kenyan descent has made a career in the league. And he has Flyers ties, although rather brief.

Johnny Oduya played 850 games in the league, won two Stanley Cups with Chicago, and won a silver medal for Sweden at the 2014 Olympics. He was claimed off waivers from the Ottawa Senators by the Flyers in February 2018. He would play in one game for Philadelphia before suffering an injury that ended his season. He later retired.

Westergard will try to become to second Kenyan player to make it to the NHL. The 17-year-old has a lot of room to grow, but has shown an impressive amount of production for his age. He debuted for Frölunda HC in the SHL after a strong season with their J20 team. Westergard finished third on the team in goals (19) and fourth in points (50), doing so in 41 games.

While he didn't register a point in four regular-season SHL games, he managed to find the back of the net in the playoffs. Overall, he had one goal and four points. He became one of six under-18 players in the SHL to record at least three points in a single playoff run. Getting that important time at the highest level in Sweden will be valuable going forward.

Westergard found success for Finland at the U18 level. He had two goals and six points in five games at the recent U18 World Juniors. He also had three goals in four games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

As Westergard becomes one step closer to an NHL dream, Kenya has made more progress in its hockey dream. They were granted associate membership in the IIHF in September, creating one of the most heartwarming moments when they found out.

Westergard has a long way to go and will need extensive time in the SHL to develop. But he could become quite the story in a few years.