Tokyo, Japan - The land of the rising sun is known for many things. Men's hockey unfortunately is not one of those things. And although the Japan Ice Hockey Federation does have one of the most successful women's programs in the world, for whatever reason, that success just hasn't translated to the opposite gender. The 2013 IIHF World U20 Junior Ice Hockey Championships are looking to be somewhat of a toss-up at the Division II Group B level. While there are two teams from this level last year that could make a serious push at promotion, Japan enters the bracket as somewhat of a question mark. Check out their credits and then we'll get to why.
Team Japan:
IIHF Record: 78-78-13
Division: II
Group: A
2012 Final Results: Division I Group B Sixth Place with 1-4-0 record
Head Coach: Yamanaka Nobuo (JPN)
After the Japanese finished the 2012 WJHC with a ratio of worse than 1:2 goals for/goals against, there are a lot of questions about this team. To place all of the blame on goaltending would be irresponsible since the defense allowed on average 38 shots per game (49 in one game alone). But this is where the lack in size hurts most. At the Division I level, size begins to make a much bigger difference than the lower tiers. Speed helps but it doesn't solve every problem.
The other question that unfortunately must be raised is in the coaching decisions. While strategies got better down the stretch, one must ponder the choices made to start the tournament. After losing to Kazakhstan 2-1 in the opening game, Head Coach Yamanaka Nobuo decided next game to sit starting goalie Takuto Onoda who stopped 38 of the 40 shots he faced. The goalie that replaced Onoda, Hisakazu Sato faced an even greater onslaught against the Italians who scored on him 7 times. To Sato's defense though, 45 shots were fired his direction and that is just plain unacceptable for a defense. Nobuo kept him in one more game before starting Onoda the final two.
Maybe the fact that it was both goaltenders' last year of eligibility played a factor in the change, but this isn't rec hockey where everyone gets a chance to play. If decisions are made like this in 2013, it could turn out disastrous once more for Japan. DIIA may not typically flaunt the best offense, but this coming year there will probably be more scoring than we're used to seeing at this level. The final reason it is difficult to gauge how Japan will fare is because of their high turnover rate. However, maybe it will be a good thing as players who combined for a -54 will all be leaving. The dawn of a new day in Japan is on the horizon; the question is, will they wake up with it?
For previous team articles, click the links below
Lithuania: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75484
Hungary: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75413
Spain: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75363
Netherlands: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75309
Romania: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75295
Division II Group B: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75279
South Korea: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75268
Estonia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75257
Serbia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75227
Belgium: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75213
Australia: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75194
Iceland: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75154
Division III: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75142
Bulgaria: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75132
New Zealand: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75122
China: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75097
Turkey: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75086
Mexico: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75075
Intro to 2013 WJHC: http://www.juniorhockey.com/news/news_detail.php?news_id=75064
Matt Prosser, Featured Writer for JuniorHockey.com. Owner of Fifty8 Productions and freelance writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Voice of California State University, Sacramento Hockey and host of The Sports Cycle with Matt Prosser on KSSU1580 Sacramento. For comments and writing ventures e-mail Matt@Fifty8productions.com. Follow on Twitter @MattProsser58 or visit www.kssusportsycle.com.
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