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Jordan Kawaguchi

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Jordan Kawaguchi
Kawaguchi with the Texas Stars in 2022
Born (1997-05-04) May 4, 1997 (age 27)
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
EIHL team
Former teams		 Belfast Giants
Texas Stars
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2021–2023
2024–present

Jordan Kawaguchi (born May 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).

Early life

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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

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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]

Following his first three full professional seasons in North America, Kawaguchi moved abroad a free agent in signing a one-year contract with Irish based club, Belfast Giants of the EIHL, on July 29, 2024.[14]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 West Kelowna Warriors BCHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Chilliwack Chiefs BCHL 49 9 9 18 6 — — — — —
2014–15 Chilliwack Chiefs BCHL 53 28 28 56 11 12 5 10 15 8
2015–16 Chilliwack Chiefs BCHL 56 45 38 83 29 20 12 12 24 2
2016–17 Chilliwack Chiefs BCHL 55 38 47 85 32 23 18 25 43 4
2017–18 U. of North Dakota NCHC 38 5 14 19 12 — — — — —
2018–19 U. of North Dakota NCHC 37 10 16 26 21 — — — — —
2019–20 U. of North Dakota NCHC 33 15 30 45 8 — — — — —
2020–21 U. of North Dakota NCHC 28 10 26 36 24 — — — — —
2020–21 Texas Stars AHL 3 1 1 2 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Texas Stars AHL 49 6 17 23 6 2 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 58 26 26 52 33 16 4 10 14 6
2023–24 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 29 8 23 31 28 9 4 4 8 6
AHL totals 52 7 18 25 6 2 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
BCHL
Second All-Star Team 2016
First All-Star Team 2017
College
AHCA First Team All-American 2020 [9]
NCHC First All-Star Team 2020, 2021 [15]
NCHC Forward of the Year 2020
NCHC Three Stars Award 2020
West First All-American Team 2020
Hobey Baker Award Finalist 2020
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2021 [16]

References

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  1. ^ "Jordan Kawaguchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b 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. ^ @HockeyCommits (June 1, 2015). "Jordan Kawaguchi (Chilliwack Chiefs) has committed to Providence College for 2016-2017" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ McCullough, Thomas (April 7, 2017). "UND ready to reload". Dakota Student. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Men's CCM/AHCA Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced". ahcahockey.com. April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  10. ^ "Star sign forward Jordan Kawaguchi to one-year entry-level contract". Dallas Stars. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "Texas Stars sign forward Jordan Kawaguchi to one-year contract". Texas Stars. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jordan Kawaguchi turns the page from hockey to begin new career". Grand Forks Herald. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "Last Year's Team MVP Jordan Kawaguchi Returns to Steelheads". OurSports Central. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  14. ^ "Jordan Kawaguchi joins Giants for 2024/25 season". Belfast Giants. July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by NCHC Forward of the Year
2019–20 		Succeeded by
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