is a Japanese ice hockey player for the

Nikko Ice Bucks Nikko may refer to: Places * Nikkō, Tochigi, a Japanese city and tourist destination * Nikko Botanical Garden, operated by the University of Tokyo * Nikkō National Park, in Kantō, Japan Organizations, products, and services * Nikkō (train ...

of the

Asia League Ice Hockey Asia League Ice Hockey ( ja, アジアリーグアイスホッケー; ko, 아시아리그 아이스하키) or ALIH (AL) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with teams from Japan, South Korea, and ...

. Fukufuji was the first Japanese player to appear in a

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) game. The first Japanese draft pick, Hiroyuki Miura, was selected by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

in the 1992 NHL Draft, but never played in an NHL game. Fukufuji is the first Japanese citizen to be drafted as a

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

in the NHL and second Japanese national to be drafted.

Career

Fukufuji was born in

Kushiro, Hokkaidō is a city in Kushiro Subprefecture on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. It serves as the subprefecture's capital and it is the most populated city in the eastern part of the island. Geography Mountains * Mount Oakan * Mount Meakan * Mount Akan- ...

, Japan. He played on the Kokudo hockey team of

in 2001. He was drafted by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

in the 2004 entry draft in the 8th round, 238th overall. He made his North American debut on February 7, 2003, with the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Cen ...

. He was voted the ECHL rookie of the month in January 2003. He played for the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home g ...

of the

in 2004–05 leading the team in wins, GAA, and shutouts. Fukufuji signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the

in August 2005. After starting the 2005–06 season with the

Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown Re ...

, the Kings ECHL franchise, Yutaka was the number 2 goalie on the AHL

Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs may refer to: *Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) *Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Manchester, New ...

for a time. On December 15, 2006, Fukufuji was called up on to the Los Angeles Kings on emergency basis. He became the first Japanese player to dress for an NHL game, but he did not play. When goaltender

Mathieu Garon Mathieu Carol Garon (born January 9, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue J ...

was placed on injured reserve with a broken finger, Fukufuji was again recalled and flew in from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio to dress as backup to goalie Barry Brust. On January 13, 2007, Fukufuji made his first NHL appearance, the first by a Japanese player, when Kings head coach

Marc Crawford Marc Joseph John Crawford (born February 13, 1961) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. He most recently was the assistant coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Crawford won the Stanley Cu ...

decided to put him in to start the third period of a game against the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

. Fukufuji entered the game with the Kings trailing 5–4. He allowed one goal in the period, and the Kings also scored one goal while he was in net. The final score of the game was 6–5 in favor of St. Louis; as Fukufuji was the goaltender who allowed the decisive sixth St. Louis goal, he was assessed the loss. On January 16, 2007, Fukufuji made history again when he became the first Japanese player to start in an NHL game, as he began the game in goal for the Kings against the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

. He allowed 3 goals on 9 shots and was pulled. Fukufuji was not presented with a qualifying offer by the Kings before the 2007–08 season, but returned to the Condors on September 10, 2007, after signing a contract for the 2007–08 season. On May 25, 2009, Fukufuji was signed by the

Destil Trappers The Tilburg Trappers are a professional ice hockey club based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. They previously played in the highest level ice hockey league in the country, but have been playing in the German Oberliga Nord since the 2015-16 season. ...

of the

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

, the top league in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. After one full season with

Fukufuji signed with

in July 2010. On January 29, 2020, it was announced that Fukufuji had been selected to represent Japan in the third round of qualifiers for the

2022 Beijing Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...

Career statistics

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fukufuji, Yutaka 1982 births Living people Asian Games medalists in ice hockey Asian Games silver medalists for Japan Asian Games bronze medalists for Japan Bakersfield Condors (1998–2015) players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Ice hockey players at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey players at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Japanese ice hockey goaltenders Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players Manchester Monarchs (AHL) players Medalists at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Medalists at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Nikkō Ice Bucks players People from Kushiro, Hokkaido Reading Royals players