Blackhawks prospect aims to be pioneer for Japanese hockey – Chicago Tribune
Go to any prospect camp and you’ll see young hockey players from all over the world.
But this week at the Blackhawks’ camp, there’s one player trying to make a name for himself from a part of the world where hockey is still in its infancy.
Yushiroh Hirano is a 19-year-old prospect from Japan and a young winger who is trying to garner some attention from a country on which the hockey world doesn’t typically shine a light.
Hockeyreference.com lists just two Japanese-born players to make the NHL — Ryan O’Marra, who was born in Tokyo but grew up in Canada and goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji.
“I’m nowhere close to the (NHL) level yet. I’d like to keep on improving, but if I do get there, it’d be a huge impact for kids in Japan,” Hirano said through a translator. “They’d have a legitimate dream they could look up to and strive for. Hockey is not a major sport like it is in the U.S. but hopefully I can make it a popular sport in Japan.”
Hirano, a free-agent invitee, spent last season in Sweden with the junior team for Tingsryds and scored 26 points in 37 games. His goal-scoring ability was on display during Tuesday’s scrimmage as he fired in a wrist shot during an odd-man rush. However, Hirano sat out Wednesday’s sessions because of a concussion, his family said.
There are a number of obstacles Hirano has to overcome in order to latch on to an NHL team. One main stumbling block, according to Chris Wakabayashi, one of Hirano’s coaches, is the cultural barrier Japanese players have to overcome.
“Because Japan is an island country, people are afraid to get out,” said Wakabayashi, who is the director of hockey operations for the Tohoku Freeblades of the Asia Hockey League. “More kids are going out at a younger age, which is good, but a lot of the top players feel comfortable in Japan because they make OK money, more than they would make at an East Coast League Team. A lot of guys don’t have the courage.”
But Hirano is trying to overcome the cultural differences even though he speaks very little English or Swedish.
“Being able to play in North America is one step toward my dream of playing in the NHL, but it’s a long road ahead, but you’ve got to keep moving forward, keep working,” Hirano said.
The other impediment is getting exposure to the scouts and talent evaluators of the NHL. Hirano ended up at the Hawks’ camp thanks to Andrew Allen, who served as the developmental goaltending coach at Rockford before recently taking the goaltending coaching position with the Sabres. Allen had served as the goaltending coach and developmental consultant for the Japanese national team. Only one other Japanese player received a camp invite in the NHL — Ryo Hashimoto with the Blue Jackets, according to the Hockey News.
“It’s a great feeling,” Hirano said of playing at the Hawks camp. “I was a little nervous at the beginning but playing at this level is great for my development.”
A development that Hirano hopes can continue in this part of the world.
Twitter @ChristopherHine
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