Jordan Kawaguchi
Jordan Kawaguchi (born May 4, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL while under contract with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL).
| Jordan Kawaguchi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
May 4, 1997 Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| AHL team Former teams |
Free agent Texas Stars | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
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]
Career statistics
| 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 | ||
| AHL totals | 52 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| 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 | [12] |
| 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 | [13] |
References
- "Jordan Kawaguchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- "29 Jordan Kawaguchi". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- Scholssman, Brad Elliott (November 14, 2019). "Jordan Kawaguchi inspired by late grandfather and his remarkable journey". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- Kalra, Avash (November 14, 2019). "'It Hit Us Pretty Hard'". College Hockey News. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- Clarke, Eric (July 18, 2020). "CHIEFS ALUMNI PROFILE: JORDAN KAWAGUCHI". Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- "CHIEFS SELECT FIALA IN FIRST ROUND". Spokane Chiefs. May 3, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- @HockeyCommits (June 1, 2015). "Jordan Kawaguchi (Chilliwack Chiefs) has committed to Providence College for 2016-2017" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- McCullough, Thomas (April 7, 2017). "UND ready to reload". Dakota Student. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- "Men's CCM/AHCA Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced". ahcahockey.com. April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- "Star sign forward Jordan Kawaguchi to one-year entry-level contract". Dallas Stars. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- "Texas Stars sign forward Jordan Kawaguchi to one-year contract". Texas Stars. August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- "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.
- "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.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database