I’ve always had an obsession with the IIHF tournaments too few people pay attention to. Division 1B and below are where you find some really questionable hockey, but you find teams that indicate they may be on an upward curve in the sport, and in my view, this has been evident most recently with players coming out of Japan. The Japanese women’s team has been a viral staple of hockey for years now, culminating in their first quarterfinal appearance in Beijing, but the men’s teams have lagged behind, consistently finishing in the bottom half of Division 1A until being relegated to 2B in 2016, where they remain to this day. On the bright side, the boy’s team has turned a corner in the last couple years. Often struggling to stay in Division 1B at the U20 level prior to 2020, the Japanese dominated the 2020 Division 2A tournament with 37 goals in their five matches, all while being the youngest team in the tournament by nearly six months, with an average age below 18. Even the U18 roster managed to earn promotion to Division 1A for the first time since the format was inaugurated in 2012. Trouble is, the U18 team hasn’t played a single game at that level due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so we’ll have to see what’s in store later this year.
Of course, you may point to viral sensation Aito Iguchi as a potential bright spot, but unfortunately his international exposure has been limited strictly to the 2020 U20 Division 2A tournament, where he performed well, but in my view showed many issues that hold him back from being an NHL prospect. The names that have made a notable impact with North American exposure have been Yusaku Ando of the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders and Yu Sato, formerly of the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts, currently in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars. Kenta Isogai, another Scouching favorite, has been left off Japanese junior teams to this point, but he’d be a welcome addition should he join them one day. While Sato is ineligible for next year’s Division 1B tournament, the team managed to finish 3rd with the second youngest team in the tournament. They’ll have my eye moving into next year, especially if Kenta Isogai can make an appearance.
That’s a big preamble to say that the player in focus today is nobody that has been named to this point, but rather a player I noticed while watching another completely unrelated name. He who is known as MarkUKLeaf on Twitter asked me to take a look at Liam Steele, playing with Stanstead College, who is a strong defensive presence on that team for sure, but another player jumped off the screen numerous times to me, and upon googling the team’s roster, the name Rihito Hamano came back, and very quickly I saw plenty that caught my attention. Hamano is Tokyo born and may very well have the highest work rate of any player I’ve seen in this year’s draft. You may laugh, but hopefully by the end of this post, you’ll understand what I’m seeing.
Hamano has been with Stanstead for four years now and while his production (12 points in 20 games) won’t jump out at you, he is playing just his second year at the defense position after being listed as a winger on prior rosters I could find online. You may also look at his production at the U20 tournament this season and see zeroes across the board, but Hamano was used extremely sparingly, averaging eight minutes in the three matches currently available on InStat, with limited special team’s time. Furthermore, he was playing up at wing, which is a position he hasn’t played in two seasons. His shot attempt differential was the worst on the team according to InStat, but I beg you to bear with me, there’s much more to the picture. For the purposes of this piece, we’ll largely rely on video from the U20 international tournament and some footage of Stanstead games, but access to tape is limited and the competition level is pretty low, so there won’t be tracked data on this one.
The positives with Hamano are pretty obvious almost immediately. He is never not in motion, and when he is, he’s cutting all over the ice, driving his body into the ice to turn quickly, skate into space, and challenge puck carriers constantly. He’s a hound dog, constantly putting in effort to achieve some kind of goal. There are countless examples to pull from, especially from his U20 tournament play on the wing, showing Hamano causing turnovers, failed opponent breakouts, and forcing decisions that bog the opposing offense into stagnation. There’s no hesitation in any area of the ice with Hamano. He can beat out icing calls, challenge goaltenders on retrievals, win retrieval races with speed and unpredictable lateral motion, and he constantly is doing the work necessary to make his linemate’s lives easier, especially away from the puck. Hamano went so far as to throw one of the bigger hits in the games I watched from this tournament, which is an easy area to point to for improvement over time. He showed plenty of capability of aggression and intensity, but rarely followed through as well as he could. When he did, it was impressive.
Plenty of examples of Hamano on puck retrievals, challenging opponents and creating potentially dangerous turnovers
That speed and quickness also makes him an offensive rush threat, easily finding space to make him a target. Hockey is often a game of random bounces going your way, and in a number of ways. While Himano went pointless in this tournament, there were a few 2 on 1 scenarios where a saucer pass a few more inches off the ice could’ve meant a grade-A scoring chance for Hamano, as well as his agility allowing him to create the odd scoring chance for himself cutting into the middle of the offensive zone. While I can’t say Hamano was a premier offensive creator for the Japanese team for reasons we’ll cover later, he chipped in where necessary and over a longer sample with a bit more ice time, Hamano could’ve had a few bounces and chances go his way to get on the scoreboard. The fascinating thing to remember about Himano is that most of his ice time this year comes while playing defense, and from what I’ve seen of his skillset, while he clearly showed that he can be a capable 200-foot winger, translating his style of play to the defensive side of the game has been an interesting project to watch unfold.
Hamano clearly shows a constant appetite for being in motion, even in pursuit of puck carriers, using body positioning to his advantage. Separation on offensive is impressive as well, with flashes of skill to cut into the middle and challenge defenders.
Hamano’s career trajectory is strange to hypothesize. On one hand, the easy answer could be that his play as a winger is far more translatable and potentially effective, constantly hounding puck carriers and grinding pucks as hard as possible into favorable positions and out of defensive danger. The alternative on defense is a much rockier road, but the mentality, agility and intensity that Hamano brings could do him well. A key weakness for him thus far has been his strength. He struggles to pin players against the boards or measurably knock them off possession, relying on stick checks far more often, but certainly shows potential for improvement with the quickness he has in open ice. As much as I adore the pace and intensity he plays with, there is such a thing as a “feel” for the game. Hamano had trouble settling pucks, almost as if he couldn’t wait to get the puck moving, and the number of strides he takes to accelerate as quickly as he can caused overskating of pucks or making him a more difficult passing target. While this trend wasn’t as apparent on defense with Stanstead, his play there did expose fluidity concerns where stopping and starting his motion to react to changes in the flow of play decreased his defensive effectiveness.
The defensive side of playing defense has been a work in progress. Skating backwards to counter high end offensive rushes is not easy, and one wrong step too far to the wrong side of the puck can leave you chasing a breakout, which is never a good scenario. Hamano appears a bit stagnant laterally on defensive rushes, allowing some entries, but when the chance to cause a turnover occurs, there he is. He may get left behind at times when opponents stop to pivot in a different direction and create a gap between them and Hamano, but for someone with most of their experience on the wing relying on leaning offensively and skating forwards up the ice, I wonder what more experience at the defense position could bring. There are strength concerns, but I’m willing to set that aside in the case of elite mobility, explosive pivots, and strong stick checks, and more time to get stronger is perfectly acceptable. Once the puck gets free, and Hamano finds some space, he’s off like a shot up the ice, often carrying pucks across both bluelines and often having his thinking heading in the right direction. Switching from wing to defense is absolutely not easy, and there are things to learn, but Hamano’s work ethic, skating ability, and flashes of skill are a strong foundation to work with and be patient with.
A compilation of areas where more improvement may be necessary. Defending 2 on 1s with control and posture rather than chasing the puck, a lack of strength on defensive zone retrievals, and a lack of mobility gets exposed when opponents cut back.
I’ve been such a curious fan of Hamano this year that I reached out to the man himself, and had the chance to ask him a few questions to shine some light on his background, his experience in Canada, and his game in general that he graciously took time to answer. Rihito, thank you so much for your answers and candor!
- How long have you been here in Canada and why play at Stanstead for the last few years? What has that experience given you?
- This is my 5th year in Canada, and I play at Stanstead because lots of scouts come to watch the games, and I know how important it is to get a good education. Stanstead has a good hockey program and great education, and it is a boarding school so there are lots of different students in the school, not just hockey players.
- Japan has been rising in the ranks at the junior boys level with players like Yusako Ando, Yu Sato and Kenta Isogai all playing in major junior leagues. What do you think has caused this recent increase in talent?
- I agree that Japan has been rising in the ranks at the junior level. There were a few older Japanese players that came to Canada and showed us the path: Yuki Miura and Kohei Satoh. Both are the first Japanese players in NCAA Division I and they’re a role model for every young talent in Japan and showed us how we can have success in North America. I’m friends with Yusaku, Yu and Kenta, but Aito Iguchi is another reason why Japan’s junior level is on the rise.
- What got you playing hockey at first? What do you love most about hockey?
- I wasn’t athletic at all when I was around 6, and my parents wanted me to play some sports. I tried a few different sports but hockey felt the most fun. I love that hockey allows me to get better at something you couldn’t do before. For example, if I’m struggling or in a slump, it’s really tough for me because if I play poorly, it’s hard. I am confident that I practice and take care of my body more than anybody else, so when my effort or hard work pays off, that’s the best feeling for me.
- What do you like the most about how you play? What do you think you need to work on?
- I love my speed. I’m confident, but sometimes I don’t know when the best time to use my speed is, so that’s something I have to fix. I’ve switched to defense since last year, so I don’t have much experience at that position. I have to work on how to win battles in the corners and stopping 2 on 2 rushes, for example.
- You’ve been often listed as a forward, playing forward with the Japanese team. Why the change to defense with Stanstead and how has that been going for you?
- I never played defence before last year. A day before our first game that year, the coach asked me to play defense the next day. I was surprised but played the game and it went better than I expected. After that, I played a few more games at defense, and heard from a Division I school, so I’ve stuck with it and it’s going well.
- You might be one of the more engaged and intense players I’ve seen, especially in the U20 tournament with Japan. How has that mentality helped you adapt to defense, and what are you still learning to make that transition?
- I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! I didn’t play forward for about a year, so I was worried about how I’d play. I couldn’t get on the ice for two weeks before I met the team because of my midterms as well. With the team, I tried to be good on the forecheck, backcheck, and bring a good atmosphere for the team. That’s my mission. I really didn’t care much about the stats because I just wanted to win. I really want to talk more about this, but it’ll take too long, but when I played for the Japanese team it was the best opportunity I’ve had in my career.
- You were held off the scoresheet and didn’t play a ton of minutes with the Japanese team, but I was impressed. To me, your defensive game without the puck was outstanding and you weren’t rewarded for your hard work, but you’re eligible to return next year, so what are you hoping to improve to make more of an impact?
- I’m also really happy to hear this! I hope I can play defense last year, but if Japan wants me to play forward, I’ll play there. My coaches also liked how I played in the tournament, so if they invite me back, I’ll play whatever position they want me to play.
- Where are you hoping to go in your career? OHL? College? Have you heard from NHL clubs or colleges?
- I’ve heard from one school, but I don’t know where I’m going to play next year. I want to play in the USHL or NAHL this year, but not many teams in those leagues come to I think I could play in Canadian Junior A, but I don’t know where and that’s a little stressful!
- Favourite Canadian food you’ve liked and Japanese food you wish you could have more often in Canada?
- I like putting maple syrup on pancakes. I don’t usually like sweets, but I like maple syrup. I wish I could eat anything my mother cooks. I can’t decide on a single meal, I just with my mother were around to cook me food, even if I live in Canada.
A few things stick out to me while reflecting on his answers. His love of maple syrup is of course not lost on me. It was also reassuring to see that his coaches liked his international tournament for the Japanese team. Moving from wing to defense and back again is tough, let alone when you lose a few weeks before the tournament in order to finish up schoolwork, but considering what I was seeing out of Rihito, it lends credence to the belief that there’s something more tucked away behind his stat sheet. Rihito was clearly aware of a somewhat common issue with players marked by their speed and intensity, which is knowing when and how to best use those skills to maximize your impact. Puck control can be an issue, getting caught out of position when jumping into a rush too quickly, and figuring out how to slow the game to get a different look at times can be concepts that take time to nail down, but being aware of the issues and working around the strengths is pivotal to getting moving in the right direction. There were a few “almost points” playing for Japan, and I found his game offensively was almost stifled because of how quick he could rocket up the ice relative to his teammates, and while he made himself a target, the processing time for some teammates breaking pucks into the neutral zone made him a bit more of an unrealistic passing target. In my view, playing with faster, quicker thinking linemates at higher levels could bring more out of Hamano, especially once the puck control and dynamic ability comes a step.
This compilation highlights the flashes of skill, shooting and passing I’ve seen across his time with the Japanese team and Stanstead. Misdirection and activation off the blueline, hard cutbacks to make space for himself, and attacking opposing defenses with speed.
The last thing I’ll note is that I really do believe Hamano deserves a chance on a bigger stage with a creative team and coach willing to find the best fit for him as a player, be it as a puck moving, skilled offensive defender, or as a relentless forechecking winger who will give you literally everything at both ends. To hear that his goal is the USHL and NAHL, who don’t often scout his games, is something I’d like to use my small platform to put out there if anyone wants to give him a chance. He’s been a great individual to chat with, he was polite, helpful, and clearly has a great head on his shoulders devoted to his team and developing his game further. I have Hamano on the Watchlist in my rankings, and while I don’t believe he’s a player I would be drafting this season, he’s a player I believe in, and really do think that experience at a higher level could do him well. I have a belief that sometimes, athletes in unconventional situations just need someone to give them a chance and stick with them. Hamano is a fast, exciting, intense team player who has experience shifting around multiple positions, learning the whole way, who is clearly aware of his strengths and weaknesses. He may not lead scoring titles right away, but patience, development and refinement could take a player with the natural profile he has quite a long way.