Jordan_Kawaguchi

Jordan Kawaguchi

Jordan Kawaguchi

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1997)


Jordan Kawaguchi (born May 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.

Quick Facts Born, Height ...

Early life

Kawaguchi was born on May 4, 1997, in Abbotsford, British Columbia[1] to parents Todd and Brandy Kawaguchi.[2] His father Todd was the only son of Japanese immigrant parents and he played college ice hockey at the University of British Columbia.[3] He is the cousin of Devin Setoguchi, who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League.[4]

Playing career

Growing up in British Columbia, Kawaguchi played for the Abbotsford Minor Hockey Association before joining the U15 Pursuit of Excellence prep program in Kelowna.[5] While playing with the U15 prep team, he recorded 57 goals and 74 assists for 131 points in 43 games and was named Tournament MVP at the Kamloops International Ice Hockey Tournament. As a result, Kawaguchi was drafted in the fourth round, 80th overall, by the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft.[6] However, he committed to play for the Chilliwack Chiefs in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the 2012–13 season, where he recorded nine goals and nine assists as the team finished last in the Mainland Division.[5] Kawaguchi spent four complete seasons with the Chiefs, where he increased his offensive output from his rookie season. He finished his BCHL career with 120 goals and 242 points in 213 career games while also earning BCHL All-Star honors.[2]

Kawaguchi originally committed to play collegiate ice hockey with Providence College[7] but changed to the University of North Dakota of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.[8]

After his junior season with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, Kawaguchi was named to the AHCA First All-American Team.[9]

Kawaguchi was named captain in his senior season with the Fighting Hawks, leading the team in scoring and placing fourth in the NCAA with 36 points through 28 games in the shortened 2020–21 season.

As an undrafted free agent, Kawaguchi turned professional in agreeing to a one-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars on March 31, 2021. He was assigned by the Stars to join AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.[10]

On August 1, 2022, Kawaguchi as a free agent opted to remain within the Stars organization by signing a one-year AHL contract to continue with the Texas Stars for the 2022–23 season,[11] spending it with the Stars' ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads.

Kawaguchi announced his retirement in November 2023 after an injury-laden 2022-23 ECHL season in which he sustained three concussions, a broken thumb, and a torn MCL.[12] This retirement was ultimately short-lived, as Kawaguchi re-signed with the Steelheads and returned to ice hockey on January 17, 2024.[13]

Career statistics

More information Regular season, Playoffs ...

Awards and honors

More information Award, Year ...

References

  1. "Jordan Kawaguchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  2. "29 Jordan Kawaguchi". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  3. Scholssman, Brad Elliott (November 14, 2019). "Jordan Kawaguchi inspired by late grandfather and his remarkable journey". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  4. Kalra, Avash (November 14, 2019). "'It Hit Us Pretty Hard'". College Hockey News. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  5. Clarke, Eric (July 18, 2020). "CHIEFS ALUMNI PROFILE: JORDAN KAWAGUCHI". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  6. "CHIEFS SELECT FIALA IN FIRST ROUND". Spokane Chiefs. May 3, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  7. McCullough, Thomas (April 7, 2017). "UND ready to reload". Dakota Student. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  8. "Men's CCM/AHCA Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced". ahcahockey.com. April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  9. "Jordan Kawaguchi turns the page from hockey to begin new career". Grand Forks Herald. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  10. "Last Year's Team MVP Jordan Kawaguchi Returns to Steelheads". OurSports Central. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. "HOCKEY EAST NAMES 2019-20 ALL-STAR TEAMS". nchchockey.com. National Collegiate Hockey Conference. March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
More information Awards and achievements ...

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Jordan_Kawaguchi, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.