F Aito Iguchi - Saitama Warriors, Japan (2021 Draft) Part 2
- Thread starter Treb
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Sun God Nika
Palestine <3.
- Apr 22, 2013
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Sun God Nika
Palestine <3.
- Apr 22, 2013
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USHL Waterloo Blackhawks have his rights... unsure if he will play for them, but pretty sure he isnt currently playing in japan.
BondraTime
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alko
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peconcan
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- Apr 24, 2020
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Without Pavel Barber this kid has 0 threads
DieselPig
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- Oct 20, 2016
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This kid ain’t an NHL prospect.. maybe a pavel barber Instagram prospect that’s about it
robsenz
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- Apr 15, 2007
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This is what I've been saying for some... 4 years or something. Crazy how overrated someone can be.
I am only judging from a bunch of highlights but his play as a 13 or 14 years old was quite impressive. I have followed pee-wee, bantam and midget age kids here in Canada for a long time and not many can pull some of the moves he has. It's obvious he has offensive skills, skating, passing, shooting and soft hands. These are skills that have to be trained/worked on over many years, and not many can reach elite-level. But this kid has it.
Of course his competition was bad and he is quite small. But the truth about this kid is he should have been in Canada, Europe or US as soon as those first Barber clips came out. I don't know who his advisors/agents are but there is absolutely no excuse. If this kid fails at even a Europe career his advisors will be at fault.
I know plenty of kids who never made the NHL who were great at the lower levels. Some of them still played in Europe and made a decent living. Most of them at least got a University scholarship. There is no excuse here. He is 17 now which is basically 3 years too late and with the pandemic he probably won't ever come over. Furthermore, his linemate from Japan has played in the USHL this past season so really... there is absolutely no excuses here. It's an absolute shame. I am sure he will have a great life in Japan but he could have made 6 figures playing in Russia, AHL or Switzerland at least.
If he is really still 5'3 at 17 then of course he is not an NHL prospect but as others have said the kid can hit a growth spurt and Japanese kids in general will hit the growth later on.
There is no excuse for this kid not to attend Shattuck or some other fancy High School program in North America... EVERYONE was talking about him when he was younger and he was obviously quite skilled. Why he stayed is Japan is beyond me. It will be the end of his career... and he needs new advisors asap. I mean his Japanese linemate has a Minnesota State University scholarship... come on
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Niten Ichi Ryu
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- Jul 1, 2018
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Love the doubters. Yeah, he's short, but he's got a strong center of gravity, which traditionally the Japanese are known for (Sumo, Judo).
Oh he's 5' 3", sure, but especially in today's NHL, mental toughness and checking can easily overcome lack of size.
Some notable 'short' NHL players:
Of course, in no way am I comparing this prospect to bonafied NHL legends or current NHL players, but my point is height can be overcome with hard work, passion and consistency.
All this prospect has been doing to playing hockey, working his way up the ranks. Way more challenging for him than any North American or European prospect, yet he still got drafted in the USHL.
He's draft eligible this year, and I hope to God that he'll get drafted in the 2021 NHL draft this coming July.
Half Japanese youngsters like Nick Suzuki and Kailer Yamamoto are killing it right now in the NHL
.
But the above user is right, it's probably too late in terms of development.
Still, fingers crossed that there will a team willing to take a chance on him (hopefully a Canadian team).
I'm praying he'll get drafted, but will he ever play in the NHL (or even the AHL)? That's up to him, and the team that maybe drafts him
Oh he's 5' 3", sure, but especially in today's NHL, mental toughness and checking can easily overcome lack of size.
Some notable 'short' NHL players:
- Nathan Gerbe: 5 foot 4 - 12 yr NHL career (and still active, 1 game this season with CBJ)
- Darren Pang: 5 foot 5 - 81 game NHL career as the 2nd shortest goalie in NHL history (Roy Worters 5 foot 3 - 1920s and over 500 NHL games)
- Theo Fleury: 5 foot 6 - 20 yr Flames Legend
- Brian Gionta: 5 foot 7 - Over 1000 NHL games
- Alex DeBrinCat: 5 foot 7
- 5 foot 8: Martin St. Louis, Ted Lindsay, Kailer Yamamoto
Of course, in no way am I comparing this prospect to bonafied NHL legends or current NHL players, but my point is height can be overcome with hard work, passion and consistency.
All this prospect has been doing to playing hockey, working his way up the ranks. Way more challenging for him than any North American or European prospect, yet he still got drafted in the USHL.
He's draft eligible this year, and I hope to God that he'll get drafted in the 2021 NHL draft this coming July.
Half Japanese youngsters like Nick Suzuki and Kailer Yamamoto are killing it right now in the NHL
.
But the above user is right, it's probably too late in terms of development.
Still, fingers crossed that there will a team willing to take a chance on him (hopefully a Canadian team).
I'm praying he'll get drafted, but will he ever play in the NHL (or even the AHL)? That's up to him, and the team that maybe drafts him
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Frolov 6'3
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VictorLustig
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- Feb 8, 2012
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If he really is 5'3 then his chances of having a career in any of the better Europen leagues are pretty much non-existent, regardless of his advisors.
And no, staying in Japan as a child did not end his career. He would have to take a very long route in any case. See Pierre Eduard Bellemare.
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This needs to stop. Good for him for showing off his skills but at his height and the level of hockey hes playing he has ZERO chance of being drafted, nevermind being an NHL talent someday
He's going 2nd round and is gonna be a steal.
If Muggsy Bogues could play basketball at 5'3", this kid can play hockey.
If Muggsy Bogues could play basketball at 5'3", this kid can play hockey.
Yeah, no. The only way he gets drafted is if in the 7th round a team has no names left on their list and someone remembers hearing of this kid, but even that's completely unrealistic.
BondraTime
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He's not going to be on any teams lists for multiple, obvious reasons
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
He's not an NHL prospect. He won't even get drafted. And even if he will, he'll bust.
It's less so his height, and moreso that his track record and achievements to this point are absolutely nonexistent. He's not even played in any decent league, let alone performed. Some youtube videos from when he was 10 and some exhibition matches and bottom of the barrel international play aren't enough for even a professional European league like NLA or SHL, let alone NHL.
Anaheim4ever
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- Jun 15, 2017
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peconcan
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- Apr 24, 2020
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The only way he gets drafted would be for publicity like when the Islanders took the kid from China in the late rounds a few years ago. Still don’t think that will happen though as the kid from China atleast played US highschool hockey not Japan HS hockey. The level of play in Japan HS can’t be much better than Ontario junior C and the best players out of that league don’t even have a hope of college hockey let alone being drafted.
abo9
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- Jun 25, 2017
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Maybe he grew up not wanting to play hockey as a career and would rather just play in Japan where he's gonna have his life? Idk him though, so if there are reports of him doing "everything" for a hockey career then 100% agree with you.
So many maybe's and if's, but the biggest interrogations for me would be
1- Are his parents well-off enough to support such moves. Yeah a scholarship would have helped but also, maybe they were not ready for that big a move at 14-15, with a hockey future being super distant?
2- Iguchi himself might have wanted to stay in Japan and build his life there. Maybe he did not see a future on another continent.
3- Related to the first 2 points, those are HUGE changes in a teenager's/young man's life for the prospect of playing lower tier professional leagues.
I personally think that his popularity stemmed mostly from the fact that he was from Japan. Had he been in Canada I don't think people would have made a huge deal out of it (obviously he would have had better competition and potentially better resources so he might have become much better, but who knows.)
