Rarely do signings by American Hockey League teams make the mainstream sports news.

However when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins announced they had signed Yushiroh Hirano it should have been a newsworthy moment.

Hiranho is currently playing his trade for the Wheeling Nailers (Pittsburgh’s ECHL affiliate) and is turning heads during his first taste of the professional game in North America.

With 39 (14-25-39) points in 44 games, the Japanese forward is tied 33rd overall amongst all forwards in league scoring and is Wheeling’s second highest scorer at the time of writing.

His journey to this point has not been an easy one and included racking up more a few air miles in the process.

A spell in Swedish journey hockey with Tingsryds resulted in Hirano’s debut in the professional game with their senior side during the 2014-15 campaign.

From there it was off to North America to play for Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL where the right winger produced 46 points in 54 games.

A return home in 2016-17 to play in the Asia League resulted in over a point per game production with Tohoku Free Blades.

He began last season with the Free Blades but ended up in Sweden with Division 2 team Kalmar HC.

In between times the 23 year old has had invites to both San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks training camps before finally impressing at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins training camp this past fall.

An AHL contract was perhaps an expectation too far but a chance to impress in the ECHL was the opportunity given to Hirano and thus far he’s grabbed it with both hands.
So much so that on January 13, 2019, WBS Pens penned the winger to an AHL contract.

Yet to receive a call-up, Hirano would become just the second Japanese player to ever play in the AHL if suiting up for the Penguins.

His lofty goal is to make it to the NHL and hopefully do more than just follow in the footsteps first trod by goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji. The latter was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2004 and played in four games for the Western Conference team during the 2006-2007 season.

Retired defenseman Hiroyuki Miura was the first Japanese player ever to be drafted when he was chosen in the 11th round by the Montreal Canadiens in 1992, but he never played in the NHL.

Hiranho is somewhat different to the archetypal Japanese player with size, strength and a powerful shot as his assets (listed as 185 cm / 6’1″ – 98 kg / 216 lbs).

So what about his game?
“He’s got a really, really good shot and a really good release,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Clark Donatelli said during camp. “It’s an impressive shot, and he’s fast. There’s a lot to work with here.”

So far away from home, Hirano is blogging about his hockey experience at https://ameblo.jp/9yushi0/ and I hope it includes an AHL entry for the young man this season.