Japan women's national ice hockey team
The Japanese women's national ice hockey team (Japanese: アイスホッケー女子日本代表, Hepburn: Aisuhokkē Joshi Nippon Daihyō) represents Japan at the International Ice Hockey Federation's Women's World Championships, the Winter Olympics, and at other international ice hockey tournaments. The women's national team is governed by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation.[2][3][4][5][6] Japan had 2,587 registered female players in 2017 and 1,439 as of 2020.[7][8]
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Smile Japan スマイルジャパン |
|---|---|
| Association | Japan Ice Hockey Federation |
| Head coach | Yuji Iizuka |
| Assistants | Kanae Aoki Masahito Haruna Yujiro Nakajimaya |
| Captain | Chiho Osawa |
| Most games | Yuka Hirano (67) |
| Most points | Hanae Kubo (54) |
| IIHF code | JPN |
.png.webp) | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 6  (30 March 2022)[1] |
| Highest IIHF | 6 (2019) |
| Lowest IIHF | 11 (first in 2011) |
| First international | |
Japan .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 5–2  Netherlands(North York or Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; 21 April 1987) | |
| Biggest win | |
Japan  46–0  Hong Kong(Sapporo, Japan; 21 February 2017) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Canada .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 18–0 Japan(Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; 22 March 1990) Canada 18–0 Japan (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada; 5 April 1996) | |
| World Championships | |
| Appearances | 17 (first in 1990) |
| Best result | 6th (2021) |
| Asian Winter Games | |
| Appearances | 6 (first in 1996) |
| Best result |  Gold (2017) |
| Challenge Cup of Asia | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2010) |
| Best result | Gold (2011, 2012) |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 4 (first in 1998) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 151–138–6 | |
The nickname of Japan women's team is "Smile Japan" (Japanese: スマイルジャパン, Hepburn: Sumairu Japan).[9]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
World Championship
- 1990 – Finished in 8th place
- 1999 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2000 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I).
- 2001 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I).
- 2003 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2004 – Finished in 9th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2005 – Finished in 10th place (2nd in Division I)
- 2007 – Finished in 10th place (1st in Group B, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2008 – Finished in 7th place
- 2009 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2011 – Withdrew from the tournament due to an earthquake[10]
- 2012 – Finished in 11th place (3rd in Division IA)
- 2013 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2015 – Finished in 7th place
- 2016 – Finished in 8th place (Relegated to Division I)
- 2017 – Finished in 9th place (1st in Division IA, Promoted to Top Division)
- 2019 – Finished in 8th place
- 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[11]
- 2021 – Finished in 6th place
Asian Games
IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia
Team
Current roster
The roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics was announced on 8 January 2022.[12]
Head Coach: Yuji Iizuka
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G | Nana Fujimoto | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | 3 March 1989 (aged 32) |  Färjestad BK |
| 2 | D | Shiori Koike | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 21 March 1993 (aged 28) | DK Peregrine |
| 3 | D | Aoi Shiga | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 4 July 1999 (aged 22) | Toyota Cygnus |
| 4 | D | Ayaka Toko | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | 22 August 1994 (aged 27) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 6 | D | Sena Suzuki | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | 4 August 1991 (aged 30) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 7 | D | Yukiko Kawashima | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 16 November 1996 (aged 25) | DK Peregrine |
| 8 | D | Akane Hosoyamada | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 59 kg (130 lb) | 9 March 1992 (aged 29) | DK Peregrine |
| 10 | F | Haruna Yoneyama | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 7 November 1991 (aged 30) | DK Peregrine |
| 11 | F | Mei Miura | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 16 November 1998 (aged 23) | Toyota Cygnus |
| 12 | F | Chiho Osawa – C | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | 10 February 1992 (aged 29) | Luleå HF |
| 14 | F | Haruka Toko | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 16 March 1997 (aged 24) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 15 | F | Rui Ukita | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 69 kg (152 lb) | 6 June 1996 (aged 25) | Daishin |
| 16 | F | Akane Shiga | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 61 kg (134 lb) | 3 March 2001 (aged 20) | Toyota Cygnus |
| 18 | F | Suzuka Taka | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 16 October 1996 (aged 25) | DK Peregrine |
| 19 | F | Chika Otaki | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | 53 kg (117 lb) | 14 December 1998 (aged 23) | DK Peregrine |
| 20 | G | Miyuu Masuhara | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | 43 kg (95 lb) | 4 October 2001 (aged 20) | DK Peregrine |
| 21 | F | Hanae Kubo | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 64 kg (141 lb) | 10 December 1982 (aged 39) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 22 | F | Miho Shishiuchi | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | 21 August 1992 (aged 29) | Toyota Cygnus |
| 23 | F | Hikaru Yamashita | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) | 54 kg (119 lb) | 23 September 2000 (aged 21) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 27 | F | Remi Koyama | 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) | 52 kg (115 lb) | 17 July 2000 (aged 21) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 28 | D | Shiori Yamashita | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) | 50 kg (110 lb) | 28 April 2002 (aged 19) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
| 30 | G | Akane Konishi | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 70 kg (150 lb) | 14 August 1995 (aged 26) | Seibu Princess Rabbits |
Notable former players
Coaches
- 1990 World Championship – Noriko Fukuda
- 1995 to 1998 – Wally Kozak (coach-mentor)[13][14]
- 1998 Winter Olympics – Toru Itabashi (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi[15][16]
- 1999 World Championship B – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2000 World Championship – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2001 World Championship D1 – Takayuki Hatanda
- 2003 World Championship D1 – Masayuki Takahashi
- 2004 World Championship – Kenji Nobuta (head coach), Tsutomu Kawabuchi (assistant coach, team manager)[15][16]
- 2005 World Championship D1 – Kenji Nobuta
- 2007 World Championship D1 – Kohichi Satoh
- 2008 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2009 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
- 2012 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
- 2013 World Championship D1A – Yuji Iizuka
- 2014 Winter Olympics – Yuji Iizuka
- 2015 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
- 2016 World Championship – Yoshifumi Fujisawa
- 2017 World Championship D1A – Takeshi Yamanaka
- 2018 Winter Olympics – Takeshi Yamanaka
- 2019 World Championship – Yuji Iizuka
Source: IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020[17]
All-time record against other nations
Last match update: 10 March 2022[18]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Czech Republic | 27 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 46 |
 France | 19 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 72 | 20 |
 South Korea | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 2 |
 Denmark | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 13 |
 Austria | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 9 |
 Norway | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 17 |
 North Korea | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 12 |
 Latvia | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 7 |
 Hungary | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 |
 Slovakia | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 11 |
 Kazakhstan | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 31 | 20 |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
 Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
 Germany | 33 | 15 | 2 | 16 | 68 | 68 |
 China | 38 | 18 | 0 | 20 | 96 | 122 |
| Canada | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 82 |
 United States | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 110 |
| Sweden | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 82 |
 Switzerland | 28 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 47 | 70 |
 Finland | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 13 | 67 |
 Russia | 21 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 31 | 71 |
| Total | 295 | 151 | 6 | 138 | 906 | 837 |
References
- "IIHF Women's World Ranking". IIHF. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- "Women's ice hockey team "Smile Japan" chase Olympic dream". International Olympic Committee. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- Kalaf, Samer (18 December 2013). "Japan's Women's Hockey Team Is The Lovable Underdog of the Olympics". Deadspin. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- Meadows, Mark (1 April 2009). "Ice hockey-Japan's 'Bunnies' boiled by economic crisis". Reuters.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- Watanabe, Tadashi (26 August 2013). "Women's ice hockey team banking on Sochi". The Japan Times. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- "Japan's ice hockey women chase Olympic dream". Al Jazeera. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
- IIHF profile
- "IIHF Member National Association: Japan". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- "愛称は「スマイルジャパン」 アイスホッケー女子代表" [National Women's Ice Hockey Team Nicknamed "Smile Japan"]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). 28 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Peter, Bruce (29 March 2011). "Japanese National Teams Withdraw from World Championships". Puck Worlds. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Steiss, Adam (7 March 2020). "Women's Worlds cancelled". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Podnieks, Andrew (8 January 2022). "Japan names Olympians". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Murray, Robert (15 March 2018). "WHL Alumni set to be inducted to Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame". Western Hockey League. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- Hersh, Philip (2 February 1998). "Japan Getting (Stick) Handle on Women's Hockey". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- "Death Note–Advisor Kawabuchi". Japan Ice Hockey Federation (in Japanese). 20 January 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- "Staff Profile: Tsutomu Kawabuchi". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- Podnieks, Andrew; Nordmark, Birger, eds. (2019). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020. Toronto: Moydart. pp. 112–113. ISBN 9780986796470.
- "Japan Women All Time Results" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.