(Translated from Japanese to English)
Sapporo - Not many prolific hockey players are produced in Japan, and the few that do come out of Japan usually are from Tokyo. But today we are proud to announce that Katsuo Yamaguchi of Sapporo, Japan has signed with the Colorado Raptors of the SMJHL. Katsuo grew up in Sapporo and is very well known throughout the city for his ability to play on the ice. Ice hockey in Japan isn’t huge yet but with the rise of Yamaguchi it should help the already growing sport gain some more traction here in Japan. Many people around the city have expressed support for the Young Defense-man as he journeys to America to pursue his dream of becoming a top player in the world.

When asked about his signing with the Raptors he said “I am very excited to have an opportunity to play in the SMJHL and to play for the Raptors. They took a big chance on me and I hope to repay them one day by leading them to a championship. Ultimately my goal is to play in the SHL but I am going to take my time in the Juniors and develop my game to the fullest before taking the step up to the SHL. In my interactions with the Raptors front office and my teammates so far they have been nothing but professional and helpful and I look forward to helping create something special in Colorado”.

Yamaguchi will most likely play in the bottom defensive pairing for the Raptors given his youth and relatively raw skills. However, his potential is through the roof and if he takes the proper steps in development Yamaguchi could be an anchor for the Raptors defense in the near future. When that time comes Japan will be watching, cheering on their fellow countryman, especially here in Sapporo, where everyone is proud of what the hometown kid has accomplished.

We asked Katsuo about his feelings of Japan his response was touching “Japan is my home and I love it very very much. Moving to America will be difficult, as I will have to adapt to a new culture, new language and new brand of hockey but I know it will be worth it. This is what I need to do to pursue my dream but it’s not just about me. I am also doing this for all the young hockey fans in Japan, to show them that it is possible to make it big. I am doing this so maybe one day Japan may have an IIHF team. I am doing this to show the world that Japan is coming up as a hockey nation and so that maybe one day I will get to play a pro game in Japan in front of my dearest and most loved fans”.

We all look forward to watching Yamaguchi’s career progress and wish him nothing but the best. He is truly one of the best young talents to come out of Japan ever, and we hope that he can accomplish everything that he wants. Congrats Katsuo Yamaguchi, the whole country of Japan is behind you, do your best!

Word count: 523 (Oh and this is my first post)

So are you actually Japanese in real life?

Marc Palicka

Czech Center

Falcons

you might want to write a bit more for your first post, the money from media disintegrates really fast.

Nice read, happy to see Katsuo has such high aspirations!

Cal Juice
Tomas Zadina
Brady McIntyre