From Osaka to the NHL: Jordan Spence hopes to inspire young Japanese hockey players

Japan Times

3 days ago

There was a time when the notion of a Japanese player making it to the top level of hockey was absurd enough that it became the butt of a joke.
In 1974, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach was so frustrated with the length of the NHL draft and, seeing no players left that interested him, had his organization draft a fictitious player named Taro Tsujimoto with the 183rd overall pick.
The ruse was eventually uncovered when the nonexistent Tsujimoto, who was even given a locker, failed to show up for training camp.
But the name continues to be a unique part of hockey lore, and for years Tsujimoto was the closest a 'Japanese player' came to making the NHL.
Today, young players in Japan have an actual homegrown NHL player they can look up to.
Jordan Spence, who was born in Australia but grew up in Osaka, is getting set for his fifth NHL season after being traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Ottawa Senators earlier in the offseason.
Spence, then with the Kings, takes a shot during a game against the Kraken in April. |
Imagn Images / via Reuters
Spence, who has a Canadian father and Japanese mother, learned to play during a childhood spent in the baseball-mad Kansai region.
'I was lucky because my dad was really big into hockey and he was very passionate about the game, so he was always able to find a lot of ice time,' Spence told The Japan Times.
Still, it's fair to wonder how far his career could have taken him in Japan, and the family eventually moved to the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island in large part so he could pursue hockey more seriously.
He was able to adapt seamlessly to the more competitive hockey environment in Canada, eventually earning a spot on the blueline with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL, one of Canada's three top-tier junior hockey leagues.
Later, he caught the eye of the Kings, who took him in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL draft. 'It's pretty cool. You kind of have to take a step back and realize the journey that you've overcome,' Spence said. 'Hopefully that can motivate other players, especially in Japan, that it's possible to make it to the NHL.'
Indeed, Spence's path to the elite level puts him in rarified air in a sport that produces few talents outside of hot spots in North America and Europe.
After the infamous Tsujimoto incident, an actual Japanese player wasn't drafted until defenseman Hiroyuki Miura was taken by the Montreal Canadiens in 1992 — though he never suited up for the storied franchise.
Kings goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji makes a save during his first NHL start on Jan. 16, 2007. Fukufuji was the first Japanese player to play in an NHL game. |
Reuters
Then in 2004, the Kings selected goaltender Yutaka Fukufuji, who played four games with the big club in the 2006-07 season to become Japan's first bonafide NHLer. Fukufuji's brief stint, however, pales in comparison to what Spence has done in his young career. Through 180 games, Spence has produced eight goals and 53 assists while earning a regular role with the Kings over the last two seasons, playing in all but 14 of the team's games over that span.
Last month, the 24-year-old defenseman returned to Japan for the first time since his move to Canada to help run a hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, and tour his old stomping grounds in Osaka, including the arena in Namba where his hockey career began. The two-day camp in Hokkaido, called Dreamskate Japan and organized by POD, a startup investment firm with an office in LA, saw the participation of 200 boys and girls from elementary school age up to high school.
Spence shares a laugh with a young player during the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, last month. |
Courtesy of POD
While Spence wasn't able to go full gas with the younger players, the intensity of his efforts ramped up when it was time to lead the older players through drills. He also did his own workout before one of the sessions, giving everyone a rare chance to see what NHL speed and skills look like up close.
'I can't explain how exciting it was for them to see a real NHL player,' said POD Americas President Kaz Yamanouchi, who helped organize the camp. 'He was full speed and full power ... the kids were so excited.'
In addition to the on-ice training sessions led in part by Spence, the young players were given the opportunity to ask the Senators defenseman about his life and path to the pros.
Yamanouchi recalls one player asked the 180-centimeter, 80-kilogram Spence about his relatively average size and weight.
'He said that 'always there's doubters, there's always negative comments or obstacles, but I fought through it and that's why I'm here. As long as you have confidence, you can achieve it.' I think the high school kids took that as a really serious answer. ... That was really inspiring,' Yamanouchi said.
Spence demonstrates a shooting drill to participants at the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, last month. |
Courtesy of POD
Spence signs autographs for young players during the Dreamskate Japan hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, last month. |
Courtesy of POD
Evidently, it wasn't just the children who were impacted by Dreamskate Japan — Spence said he hopes to be part of more camps in Japan going forward.
'Being able to look at their skill and see how they compete, it's an eye-opening experience,' he said. 'They have the skill to compete against North American players. I think at the end of the day it's all about confidence and just being yourself when you're on the ice.'
The camp also resonated with him on a more personal level as his status as a role model for young Japanese hockey players hit home.
'Being able to see their faces and see how excited they were to come to the camp and excited to go on the ice with me, take pictures, get autographs, that really caught me off guard a little bit,' Spence said. 'These little things that I do in Japan mean a lot for them and to kind of give back ... I thought it was very cool.'