F Aito Iguchi - Saitama Warriors, Japan (2021 Draft)

[CertifiedPublicGuin]

Is this an Aito Iguchi thread?

Not as it stands, no.

Sure as hell fooled me, though.

 

[Gordon Graham]

Not as it stands, no.

Sure as hell fooled me, though.

From time to time, the thread gets sidetracked by a group of Finns who try to downplay the level of play of Japanese hockey players, including Iguchi. Currently, Aito is playing with the U20 National team who are now in the Czech Republic and have won each of their exhibition matches against U20 Czech teams HC Moravske Budejovice, 7~4 and Orli Znojmo U20, 10~2, with Ando and Iguchi, 16 year olds, doing most of the scoring.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

Yeah, you actually quoted exactly what he said about HS teams, and attempted to mislead that it was what he was saying about the U20 team. Someone is fabricating stuff, and it isn't me.

As for what he said, he said "could beat most", not just "could beat." Again, you appear to be deliberately misleading. A dominant team "could beat most" other teams. That isn't some big shift in goal posts.

And all of it is the usual BS you serve up, because your whole approach is to distract away from the main point, which is that Midget AAA teams would not wipe the floor with the Japan U20 team. It doesn't matter whether the U20 team "beats most" of them or "dominates" them.

Took me a bit to figure out who you were yelling at. Then I realized it must be someone on my ignore list. On the next page I see someone else talkingabout dishonest Finnish posters. Whoever it is, if it's a fin on my ignore list then they frequently misrepresent and discuss things dishonestly. I highly recommend ignoring them

 

[I am toxic]

Took me a bit to figure out who you were yelling at. Then I realized it must be someone on my ignore list. On the next page I see someone else talkingabout dishonest Finnish posters. Whoever it is, if it's a fin on my ignore list then they frequently misrepresent and discuss things dishonestly. I highly recommend ignoring them

Advice taken.

 

[MapleLeafs9]

How tall is Iguchi now? If he's still only 5'1 or 2 at 16, he's not gonna be in the NHL. 6 years of hype for nothing.

 

[wetcoast]

How tall is Iguchi now? If he's still only 5'1 or 2 at 16, he's not gonna be in the NHL. 6 years of hype for nothing.

Because every other prospect thread on HF Boards produces a bona fide NHLer right?

The kid is an interesting prospect plain and simple and there are lots of other threads if you only care about absolute NHLers.

 

[Pardus]

Sorry on behalf of some Finns!

I wish all the best for Aito and I am very excited to see where this kid ends up playing.

 

[bsu]

Why does this kid have 39 pages? He is exciting to watch but literally has less than a 0.1% chance of making the NHL

 

[3 Minute Minor]

Why does this kid have 39 pages? He is exciting to watch but literally has less than a 0.1% chance of making the NHL

Literally because of people like you making the same silly post over and over?

 

[MapleLeafs9]

Because every other prospect thread on HF Boards produces a bona fide NHLer right?

The kid is an interesting prospect plain and simple and there are lots of other threads if you only care about absolute NHLers.

You must be mistaken. I didn’t realize I claimed anywhere that we should only discuss bonafide nhl’ers.

 

[wetcoast]

You must be mistaken. I didn’t realize I claimed anywhere that we should only discuss bonafide nhl’ers.

Well this was your quote that I was responding to here.

Sure you didn't exactly say that but it's pretty much implied when you read your OP right?

Not to mention that his draft year is 2021.

How tall is Iguchi now? If he's still only 5'1 or 2 at 16, he's not gonna be in the NHL. 6 years of hype for nothing.

 

[djpatm]

Meh, I heard the same thing in this very board about 5'6 Gaudreau. He's now one of the best forwards in the game.

At this point 5'1 might be a better than 5'6. Harder to hit. Center of gravity below Chara's knees. We'll see how his skill translates against bigger and bigger players.

 

[singlesliceofcheese]

Well this was your quote that I was responding to here.

Sure you didn't exactly say that but it's pretty much implied when you read your OP right?

Not to mention that his draft year is 2021.

They're probably referencing the NHL-level hype he has received. I've seen some (possibly in jest) say he was going to be a first overall selection or a first rounder.

 

[Loffer]

He may be too shrimpy to be found on the NHL ice without field glasses once he gets drafted by the Oilers in the 1st round. Soon after they will ruin him by making him to eat lots of American GMO meat and potatoes, brand burgers and hotdogs with soda pop and cow milk of a high fat percentage. His guts and bowel cannot take it being used to the traditional healthy Japanese if not Okinawan food with sea alg, fish, green tea and veggies. The kid will develop into a little mammoth with a fat liver and his career in the Show is cut short.

Sad story. But nothing new under the Alberta Sun. Titles in the sport section will scream: The Oils did it again. They ruined the kid! ;-)

 

[Gordon Graham]

How tall is Iguchi now? If he's still only 5'1 or 2 at 16, he's not gonna be in the NHL. 6 years of hype for nothing.

5'5"

 

[alko]

Why does this kid have 39 pages

Because Japan.

 

[BKarchitect]

MEP had that ridiculous hype after the YouTube compilation when he was a little kid, had a huge thread here, a ton of people mocked him (tiny, skills showcase means nothing, hyped by his family, hyped because of his interesting nationality) and he kind of went off the radar a bit as he actually started to develop. Then he resurfaced in the USHL, went on to get drafted in the NHL, had one of the finest seasons of any NCAA freshmen in the country on a powerhouse team and is now an exciting and legit prospect to talk about.

Sure, for every MEP there are 20 kids mentioned here that do absolutely nothing but I find some of the critiques here to be distasteful - they may have some measure of truth to them but the constant barrage of doubt and criticism just strikes me as a way for the hype police to make sure they can suppress any level of excitement people may have.

We get it, this kid is small, not from a traditional hockey country, has not been tested against the best at all times and wouldn’t have this thread if he weren’t Japanese. This is repeated ad naseum in every page of this thread. Who cares? He’s a kid, I’m rooting for him and I think it’s exciting. He most likely won’t amount to a ton but you can’t say there is zero chance so in the meantime why not cheer the more positive aspects of what he’s done so far in his young career?

 

[ijuka]

Differences:
1. MEP was playing against actual, real NA competition for 4 years before getting drafted.
2. MEP is not 5'1".

He most likely won’t amount to a ton but you can’t say there is zero chance so in the meantime why not cheer the more positive aspects of what he’s done so far in his young career?

That's fine if we're wishing rather than expecting.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

5'5"

Is he really 5"5? That's NHL size nowadays so good for him.

For all the people complaining that he'll never make the NHL, I will always be interested in following prospects from non-traditional countries so I appreciate this thread. Regardless of where he ends up, what Iguchi, Sato, and Ando have done for Japanese hockey is something that should be celebrated and discussed.

At the very least they have popularized hockey for the younger generations of Japan, and if those 3 reach their potential the Japanese senior team could overtake some of the weaker markets like Austria and Latvia this decade.

I hope Iguchi makes an NCAA D1 roster, anything beyond that will be a great success story.

 

[13 others]

Is he really 5"5? That's NHL size nowadays so good for him.

For all the people complaining that he'll never make the NHL, I will always be interested in following prospects from non-traditional countries so I appreciate this thread. Regardless of where he ends up, what Iguchi, Sato, and Ando have done for Japanese hockey is something that should be celebrated and discussed.

At the very least they have popularized hockey for the younger generations of Japan, and if those 3 reach their potential the Japanese senior team could overtake some of the weaker markets like Austria and Latvia this decade.

I hope Iguchi makes an NCAA D1 roster, anything beyond that will be a great success story.

Because there is like 1 player who is 5'5 now that means it's "NHL size"? That's not how it works.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Meh, I heard the same thing in this very board about 5'6 Gaudreau. He's now one of the best forwards in the game.

At this point 5'1 might be a better than 5'6. Harder to hit. Center of gravity below Chara's knees. We'll see how his skill translates against bigger and bigger players.

Please don’t compare him to Gaudreau.

 

[Bank Shot]

Please don’t compare him to Gaudreau.

Why not?

Every single kid that gets drafted every year gets a comparison to some hall of famer. It just gives people some kind of reference. No need to get your panties in a bunch.

I think its great that we are talking about Japanese prospects. If they can get a kid or two into the NHL it will be huge for the game as a whole.

 

[S E P H]

So he didn't go to Waterloo's training camp? I can't seem to find any proper info from their website, terribly run.

 

[FreeBobbyFarnham]

Because there is like 1 player who is 5'5 now that means it's "NHL size"? That's not how it works.

You do know kids still grow at 16, right?

 

[bigdog16]

You do know kids still grow at 16, right?

Unfortunately genetics aren't on his side