Recording many goals and assists, Yushiroh Hirano was a key forward on the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL in the season that kicked off in September 2021. Shortly after, Hirano was called up to play for the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL in December, making him one step closer to his childhood dream of becoming the first Japanese forward in the NHL. In this first half of the interview, Hirano shares with us his professional experience in North America as he looks back on his 2021-22 season and his sense of confidence in getting called up to play in the NHL one day.

“This is the first off-season in my career where I’m this excited. I hope to spend the summer focusing on training and preparation, then go back to North America with confidence,” says Yushiroh Hirano, eyes burning with determination when asked about the upcoming season. His expression speaks for itself–his success over the past year has allowed him to feel certain that he can perform at his best even if he gets called up to play in the NHL.

In the 2020-21 season, the ECHL team that he was affiliated with was having financial difficulties due to the coronavirus pandemic, causing Hirano to give up on playing in the ECHL for the season. He was excited to transfer there since the team was stronger than his previous affiliation; however, the disappointing news came right when he was ready to prove himself.

Suddenly Hirano was unaffiliated, he returned to Japan and joined the Yokohama Grits of the Asia League Ice Hockey. Although he made his decision with hopes to inspire children during his stay in Japan, he could not help but feel a bit let down by the lack of speed and physical strength among ice hockey players in Japan.

When Hirano finally returned to the Cincinnati Cyclones, he was worried whether he could keep up again. His fear proved to be true in the beginning of the season, as he could not score a single goal or be awarded with assists. “I realized that I was playing in the same style as I did in Japan and it wasn’t working, so I tried to change it as quickly as I could. My previous experience of playing in the ECHL was also useful to overcome it all because I knew how competitive it would be. I reminded myself what I already knew, that either I pull myself together and perform well or go home.”

After this realization, Hirano began scoring highlight-reel goals that local media outlets have described them as NHL-worthy. He quickly rose to becoming a leading player on his team, and soon after he was contacted by several AHL teams through his agent. At the end of December 2021, he signed with the Abbotsford Canucks, an AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. “When I was called up to join an AHL team I thought, wow, I’ve been having a tough time for almost two years trying to build my career in the middle of a pandemic and now I’m finally able to make my first big step towards my dream. Of course, to keep pursuing my dream the most important thing was to prove myself at Abbotsford. I immediately focused my attention on preparing for my very first game there.”

Hirano scored his first goal in the AHL during a match against the San Diego Gulls in their home at Abbotsford on January 22nd, 2022. It was his fifth game since he transferred to the team, and he was on the starting lineup. Everything happened only ten seconds into the game. Immediately after face-off, Hirano and his teammate rushed toward the opponent’s goal. And as his teammate passed the puck to him Hirano immediately performed a slapshot, firing a one timer. Struck powerfully by Hirano’s stick, the puck howled above the goaltender’s right shoulder and into the net. You can just imagine the thundering roar of the crowd that followed. This was the day when Hirano shot a dynamic goal for the first time in the AHL.

“It was the best. I was going for that shot right from the start, and I pulled it off with passion. It was the moment when I proved myself that I can survive in a world where you can’t make it if you don’t perform, and not just well, but fast.”

Puck: A hard rubber disk that is 25 mm thick and 75 mm in diameter
One timer: A shot that occurs when the puck is passed and struck toward the goal without stopping the puck. Similar to a volley shoot in soccer, it is one of the most exciting shots in ice hockey.

Hirano also quickly noticed how his new teammates in the AHL are all a notch above his previous ECHL teammates in terms of speed, technique and physical strength. Players were also well-supported, which meant that they are expected to have a professional mindset and exert their best effort even during practice. “There are a lot of players on the team who has played dozens of games in the NHL. Everybody knows very well about what to say as a true professional and how to act as a member of society.” In the sixth-tier team in Sweden where Hirano first began his endeavor to play internationally, not a single player stayed to practice in the training room after a game. But in the AHL, there are many self-motivated players who follow stoic routines to aim for the top. After every practice session at least seven or eight teammates stay behind in the training room until it closes, and work on their individual tasks like shooting and pass receiving. Needless to say, Hirano is one of them.

Active communication is also what Hirano has been practicing since he first joined the Abbotsford Canucks. Often times he and his teammates would get together in the locker room after practice and watch videos of NHL games, examining them in detail. “We often share our impressions of each other’s playing style, like ‘Oh the way he plays is like how you play.’ We also share our personal training routines and how we approach them. Everybody has their own routines to build muscles and improve their physical strength. Every player also pays a lot of attention on what to eat and which supplements to take.”

Abbotsford Canucks hires four to five chefs cooking breakfast and lunch on days with practice sessions and home games, and dinner is also occasionally provided. The meals are very well-balanced, but on top of that players are also given a couple of supplements to ensure an optimal intake of nutrients. “We take supplements as per instructions from the team. There are a lot: variety-wise and quantity-wise. Honestly, I have a hard time sometimes trying to swallow them, either because they stick to my throat or have these distinct taste and aroma,” confesses Hirano. “On the other hand, Sun Chlorella A Powder is quite delicious. I mix it in water and drink it every day. They’re really easy to drink; I can happily gulp them down like I drink beer. My teammates would ask me what’s in it and what the benefits are; they all seem very curious because Sun Chlorella is officially chosen among several professional sports teams in North America. As professional athletes, we’re always searching for what’s good for our bodies.”

When the team is on the road, on the other hand, each player is often times given a meal allowance. Hirano would sometimes invite his teammates to eat out for communication purposes, but it seems like he ends up having to eat meals that are not of his choice, depending on who he goes out with. “Sometimes it’s Italian, and other times with younger players we eat burgers. I love the food in the U.S. and Canada, but my body tends to feel heavy after eating like that for two or three days, which is a sign for me to take some extra Sun Chlorella A Powder and manage my nutritional intake. These days, Japanese restaurants are popular over here too and sometimes my teammates would invite me out for a bowl of ramen, and if the restaurant only has the fatty kind, I take some Sun Chlorella A Powder back in my hotel room and feel relieved,” laughs Hirano.

Having gotten along with his teammates and building his career in the AHL, Hirano is certainly advancing closer to his dream. However, he decides to cancel his contract with the Abbotsford Canucks right before the season playoffs in April 2022 and takes on a different challenge. An opportunity came to him to pursue his “other dream” that he has had since childhood.