Asia League Ice Hockey
Encyclopedia
Asia League Ice Hockey is an association which operates a professional ice hockey
league
based in East Asia
, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan. At the end of the playoff
s every year the winner is awarded The Championship Trophy
.
The league was formed in 2003 due to declining popularity in the Japan Ice Hockey League
and the folding of the Korea Ice Hockey League. It was formed with the goal of promoting hockey and developing players' skills. The league initially comprised five teams in two countries. It expanded to highs of four countries (2004–05 season) and nine teams (2005–06 season) although it is currently made up of seven teams from three countries.
The league draws most of its players from the home countries of its teams. However, to help build skill and raise the level of competitiveness the league allows each team a certain number of foreign imports on their roster
.
won the tournament with 39 points. and Joel Prpic
from Kokudo
was the assist and points leader with 25 assists and 33 points. Ryan Haruo Kuwabara, of the Cranes, was the scoring leader with 15 goals.
The 2004–05 season was the first full season for the league, and seen by some to be the inaugural season. Before the season began, there was already interest by the National Hockey League
(NHL) in China's hockey program. In addition to the five teams which took part in the tournament the year before, the league added Golden Amur
from Russia as well as Harbin and Qiqihar from China. The first season had a schedule of 42 games. Teams played each other six times during the season. In December 2004 there was speculation by the South Korean media that North Korea
could potentially field a team in the league, but that never materialized. The league also had an all-star game
which took place on January 22 and 23, 2005 in Kushiro. The league was broken up into two teams, the Blue Orion and Red Antares. Fans voted on their favorite players and coaches. The most popular vote was for the forward position on the Blue Orion which received over 45,000 votes. Masatoshi Ito received the most votes with 9741. The skill competition and game were both won by the Blue Orion. The regular season finished with the Nippon Paper Cranes and Kokudo both having 98 points. After applying the league's tie-breaking procedure, the Nippon Paper Cranes were ranked first. The Nippon Paper Cranes also won the points race holding the top three spots in goals scored with Masatoshi Ito taking top honours at 33 goals. Darcy Mitani, also from the Cranes, took top spot in assists with 44 and points with 69. The playoffs saw the top four teams advance. The Golden Amur were swept in three games by Kokudo and the Cranes beat the Oji Paper in a close series, three games to one. The final was between the Cranes and Kokudo. While the Cranes won the first game, Kokudo won three games straight and won the playoffs. Chris Yule of Kokudo acquired ten points in the playoffs to lead the league while Chris Lindberg
of the Cranes led the league in goals scored with six. Several players from Kokudo and the Cranes all had five assists. The 2005 ALH Awards were held in Tokyo and announced in April. Among the awards Kikuchi Naoya a goaltender for Kokudo was voted Most Valuable Player
(MVP) and Matsuda Keisuke of the Nikkō Ice Bucks was voted Young Guy of the Year.
The 2005–06 season saw a number of changes to the make-up of Asia League. In the off-season the Golden Amur withdrew from the league due to financial trouble. At the same time it was announced that Kangwon Land
was showing interest in entering a team in the league. However, only a few weeks later, they withdrew their application because it was felt their team wasn't strong enough to enter the league. The league also revised the limits on the number of imports some teams were allowed to have. Halla and the Ice Bucks were both allowed to carry an additional import player while the two Chinese teams were permitted two more import players. It was announced in July, 2005 that Anyang Halla Winia
would change their name to Anyang Halla. In late July, the league announced that Kangwon Land had acquired some imports and strengthened the team. They had applied again and were expected to enter the league that season. As well another new team, the Nordic Vikings
, was expected to join the league. The Nordic Vikings were a Swedish/Chinese joint venture
that saw the team based out of Beijing. As part of the venture Swedish players were also sent to the two existing Chinese teams. This brought the league to its high point of nine teams. Even though there were more teams than in the previous season the league reduced the number of games from 42 to 38. This resulted in an uneven schedule. For example the Korean teams played nine games against each other, while playing four games against the teams from Japan and China except the Nordic Vikings who they played five times. At the end of the regular season the Nippon Paper Cranes had captured first place for a second year in a row with 95 points. While the Cranes had a very strong showing in the point rankings, the top goal scorer was Song Dong-hwan
from Anyang Halla with 31. Derek Plante
led in assists with 47 and overall points with 75. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs with the top two teams, the Cranes and Halla, receiving a bye
to the semi-finals. In the first round Kokudo swept the Ice Bucks while Oji Paper defeated the Vikings three games to one. In the second round Kokudo faced Halla who was making their playoff debut. Kokudo won that series three games to one. On the other side the Cranes faced off against Oji Paper and swept them in three games. The final was again the Cranes vs Kokudo and once again Kokudo emerged victorious claiming the title for the second year in a row. Kokudo had three players claiming the three top points spots for the playoffs. Joel Prpic was the top goal scorer with nine, Kiyoshi Fujita had the most assists with 12 and Takahito Suzuki
had the most points with 18. Kikuchi Naoya won MVP of the year for the second time and Young Guy of the Year went to Masahito Nishiwaki of the Cranes.
Further changes were seen in the league in the 2006–07 season. After the last season The Nordic Vikings were looking for sponsors for the team. However, they failed to find sufficient sponsorship and left the league due to financial trouble. Harbin moved their home rink to Beijing and changed their name to Hosa to reflect this. Qiqihar acquired a new sponsor and changed their name to Changchun Fuao. Kokudo also changed their name to the Seibu Prince Rabbits. With eight teams, the league further reduced the number of games played to 34, which again resulted in an uneven play schedule. The Chinese based teams, for example, played each other and the Korean teams each six times but only played the Japanese teams four times. The Paper Cranes easily won the regular season again finishing first with 86 points. With the previous year's goal leader not participating the scoring race went to Tim Smith
of Kangwon Land. He led the league with 30 goals. Patrik Martinec
of Halla led the league with 53 assists and 71 points. The playoffs followed the same format as the year before and six teams advanced. Kangwon Land swept Halla in three games and Oji Paper beat the Ice Bucks three games to one. While it was inevitable with two Korean teams facing each other, it marks the first time a non-Japanese team won a playoff series in Asia League. The second round was over quickly as the Cranes and Rabbits who both had byes swept their opponents in three games each. For the third year in a row the final was between the Paper Cranes and the Rabbits. The Cranes took the series in four games. Joel Prpic won himself another scoring title as he led the playoffs in goals, 8, and points, 17. Kengo Itoh for the Cranes had the most assists with 13. At the awards ceremony Itoh also took the award for MVP of the Year while Jun Tonosaki received the award for Young Guy of the Year.
The 2007–08 season started with a further reduction in teams. Harbin and Qiqihar combined into a single team and became owned and operated by the San Jose Sharks
. They took the name of their new owner and became the China Sharks. Kangwon Land renamed to High1. With only seven teams the league reduced the amount of games played to their lowest at just 30 games. The league continued with an unbalanced schedule and the Korean and Chinese teams played each other more than the Japanese teams did. After three years of dominance the Nippon Paper Cranes slipped to fourth place and the regular season was won by the Prince Rabbits. Alex Kim
, playing for High1, recorded the most goals with 23 and most points with 51. Joel Prpic continued to find himself on top of the pack with 30 assists. With six of seven teams going to the playoffs the Sharks were the only team that didn't find themselves in a playoff spot. The first round was over quickly as the Cranes swept Halla in three games and Oji did the same to the Ice Bucks. Nippon faced their rivals, the Rabbits, in the second round and defeated them three to one. High1 couldn't repeat their success from the previous year by winning a series and were swept by Oji in three games. For the first time the final series was not between the Cranes and Rabbits. Oji continued to roll over their opponents and swept the Cranes, marking the only time a team in Asia League had swept its way through three rounds. Due to their dominance on the ice, the point race was also swept by Oji. Takeshi Saito
led the playoffs with nine assists and 15 points, while Shane Endicott had the most goals with 6. Kunihiko Sakurai, also from Oji, won the MVP of the Year and Eum Hyun-Seung
, from High1, won the Young Guy of the Year award.
of Halla finished first in goals and points with 29 and 57 respectively. Kunihiko Sakurai, a previous MVP, finished on top with 40 assists in the regular season. The league reduced the number of teams making the playoffs and only five teams advanced. The first round saw a short three games series between the Cranes and High1. The Cranes swept High1 in two games. The second round found the regular season winners, Halla, facing the Cranes and Oji facing the Rabbits. Halla and the Cranes took it to seven games, but Halla lost on home ice. After the previous year's record setting playoff run, Oji found themselves swept by the Rabbits in four games. For the fourth time in five years the final was between the Rabbits and Cranes. The Cranes won for the second time. The Cranes swept the playoffs point race with Kengo Itoh taking the lead with 16 assists and 21 points. Masahito Nishiwaki led with 12 goals. Brock Radunske took the award for MVP of the Year marking the first time the award has gone to an import player. Young Guy of the Year went to Kim Ki-sung
, also from Halla.
After a season with little change to the make-up of the league, the 2009–2010 saw further change. The San Jose Sharks ended their association with the Chinese team. They pulled out all coaches and players they had sent. The Chinese Ice Hockey Association
took over the team and brought in new import players and coaches to replace those lost. The team also changed its name from China Sharks to China Dragon. Mid-way through the previous season the Seibu Prince Rabbits announced that due to financial difficulties they would withdraw from the league at the end of the 2008–09 season. They were unable to find a buyer and the team folded. However, another team from Japan joined the league in the off-season. The Tohoku Free Blades
were able to hire enough players and imports to join the league in time for the beginning of the season. This again left the league with seven teams. The league left the amount of games played at 36, marking the first time that the league didn't adjust the schedule from the previous year. The league also introduced a couple of rules changes. All face-offs will take place on one of the nine face-off dots as well teams will no longer be allowed to change after an icing. Anyang Halla repeated as the regular season champions finishing with 79 points and 23 wins. The team also set the record for the most goals by a team in a 36 game season with 180. Alex Kim and Tim Smith lead the points race. Both finished with 75 points on the season, with Kim taking the goal scoring race with 29 and Smith taking the assists race with 48. The League further reduced the amount of teams making the playoffs to only four. As well they brought in referees from outside the league to assist in officiating. The two Korean teams faced each other in one semi-final guaranteeing for the first time that a Korean team would appear in the final. Halla defeated High1 in four games after a loss on home ice. The Cranes similarly defeated the Eagles in four games. The final was a close series, needing all five games and with four of the five games only being decided by a single goal. In the final game, Halla tied the game with 17 seconds remaining and in over-time the team captain, Kim Woo-jae
scored to give Halla a victory and mark the first time a non-Japanese team had won the cup. In the play-offs Brock Radunske led with six goals and 13 points overall while Darcy Takeshi Mitani led with 8 assists. Patrik Martinec took regular season MVP honors, and Cho Min-ho
, also from Halla, was named Young Guy of the Year.
The 2010-2011 season saw virtually no change to the structure of the season or league. All teams from the previous season remained in the league, and the amount of games remained at 36. The regular season ran from September 18, 2010 to February 20, 2011. After two years of leading the league, Halla slipped to fourth place and Oji Eagles took the regular season honors with 76 points. Shunhei Kuji of Oji lead the league with 24 goals, while his teammate Yosuke Kon led with 45 assists. However, with a couple of second place finishes, Go Tanaka of the Free Blades led the overall points race with 59. The League also maintained the number of play-off teams at four. Anyang faced Oji while Nippon faced Tohoku. Halla managed to take two of three in Japan and defeat Oji on home ice to advance. The Free Blades needed all five games to defeat the Cranes but the team came back with two straight wins to advance to the final for the first time in their short time in the league. However, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake
near the Free Blades hometown forced the League to cancel the finals. Halla had already in Japan just an hour before the disaster struck the area. Fortunately, both teams survived, but the League felt the final could not go on. On March 22, 2011 the League declared that both Halla and the Free Blades would be declared co-champions. Though shortened, Masato Domeki of Oji led the playoffs with four goals, Bruce Mulherin led with six assists and fellow Free Blade Brad Farynuk had eights points overall.
period. Overtime is five minutes, with four skaters on each team. If the game remains tied after five minutes, then the teams partake in a three player shoot-out, until one team comes out ahead. Prior to the 2008–09 season these games ended in a tie with no shoot-out. In a playoff game the league doesn't use the shoot-out and instead the teams play continual overtime periods of 20 minutes until one team scores.
Several National Hockey League
players have played in the league, including Greg Parks
, Esa Tikkanen
, Chris Lindberg
, Tavis Hansen
, Shjon Podein
, Jason Podollan
, Derek Plante
, Steve McKenna
, Jarrod Skalde
, Joel Prpic
, Tyson Nash
, Jamie McLennan
, Shane Endicott
, Wade Flaherty
, Kelly Fairchild
, Brad Tiley
, Ricard Persson
, Bryan Young
, Claude Lemieux
, Brad Fast
and Cole Jarrett
.
s and exhibition
play. After that the regular season takes place, which lasts for several months dependent on the schedule. Finally several teams advance to a post-season playoff. This is an elimination tournament where teams play a "best-of" format to advance through the rounds. The final remaining team is crowned the champion for the year.
The regular season has been changed in almost every season that Asia League has been in operation. The first full season mirrors the two most recent seasons in which all teams play all other teams six times. With the amount of teams changing from season to season in the first few years the league adjusted the schedule each year which often included an unbalanced schedule. Under the current schedule all teams make an away visit to each other team's home rink for a three game series and also play a three game series against that team at their own home rink. In order to minimize travel, teams traveling to other countries will stay there for two weeks and play two teams, except in the case of China who only has one team. Teams going to Japan will play against the Cranes and Eagles on the same trip as they are geographically close together, then in another trip play against the Free Blades and Ice Bucks.
The league ranks the teams by points. A regulation time win is worth three points. If the teams are tied at the end of regulation, both teams receive one point. The team which is victorious either in the overtime period or overtime shoot-out receives an additional point. A regulation time loss is worth zero points.
At the end of the regular season the team which has the most points is awarded the title of regular season champion. The league in the past generally takes a several week break between the regular season and postseason. As with the regular season, the format of the playoffs has varied from year to year. In the 2009–10 season the top four teams advanced to the playoffs and play two best-of-five rounds. The league scheduled the end of the regular season and postseason around the Olympic break. In each round the higher ranked team from the regular season will receive a home-ice advantage and the series will begin play and have the majority of games play in their rink.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
league
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
based in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan. At the end of the playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s every year the winner is awarded The Championship Trophy
Trophy
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics...
.
The league was formed in 2003 due to declining popularity in the Japan Ice Hockey League
Japan Ice Hockey League
The Japan Ice Hockey League was an annual ice hockey league that began in 1966 and ended in 2004 when it was replaced by Asia League Ice Hockey...
and the folding of the Korea Ice Hockey League. It was formed with the goal of promoting hockey and developing players' skills. The league initially comprised five teams in two countries. It expanded to highs of four countries (2004–05 season) and nine teams (2005–06 season) although it is currently made up of seven teams from three countries.
The league draws most of its players from the home countries of its teams. However, to help build skill and raise the level of competitiveness the league allows each team a certain number of foreign imports on their roster
Roster
A roster is a list of names of people involved with an organization of some kind.A roster can be a list of people and the times when they are required to work or a list of students in a classroom....
.
2003 - 2008
The league was formed after the collapse of the Korean ice hockey league and dissolution of the Japanese league. It was started with the goal of promoting hockey in Asia as well as helping the various participating countries develop their hockey programs and increase their showing in the Olympics. The first season was a shortened season of only five teams, and played as a tournament rather than a regular season. Four Japanese teams and a Korean team participated. The tournament lasted just two months and each team played four games, two at home and two away, against each other. Due to the shortened tournament format there were no playoffs and the winner was declared from the point tally. The Nippon Paper CranesNippon Paper Cranes
The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Kushiro City in Hokkaidō, Japan.The club were founded as Jūjō Paper Kushiro Ice Hockey Club in 1949. They adopted the new name Nippon Paper Cranes in 1994 when Jūjō Paper and Sanyō Kokusaku Pulp merged to form Nippon Paper.They won the inaugural...
won the tournament with 39 points. and Joel Prpic
Joel Prpic
Joel Melvin Prpic is a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Croatian ancestry who is currently playing with Croatian team, KHL Medveščak Zagreb, in the Austrian Hockey League.- Playing career :...
from Kokudo
Seibu Prince Rabbits
The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09...
was the assist and points leader with 25 assists and 33 points. Ryan Haruo Kuwabara, of the Cranes, was the scoring leader with 15 goals.
| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Nippon Paper Cranes Nippon Paper Cranes The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Kushiro City in Hokkaidō, Japan.The club were founded as Jūjō Paper Kushiro Ice Hockey Club in 1949. They adopted the new name Nippon Paper Cranes in 1994 when Jūjō Paper and Sanyō Kokusaku Pulp merged to form Nippon Paper.They won the inaugural... |
| 2004–05 | Kokudo Seibu Prince Rabbits The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09... |
| 2005–06 | Kokudo |
| 2006–07 | Nippon Paper Cranes |
| 2007–08 | Oji Eagles |
| 2008–09 | Nippon Paper Cranes |
| 2009–10 | Anyang Halla Anyang Halla The Anyang Halla are a professional ice hockey team based in Anyang City in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. They are one of the founding and current members of the Asia League Ice Hockey . Formed in 1994, they are the oldest professional ice hockey team, and one of only two professional teams, in South... |
| 2010-2011 | Tohoku Free Blades Tohoku Free Blades The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.Founded in 2008, they are playing their first Asia League season in 2009.-Community Contributions:... Anyang Halla |
The 2004–05 season was the first full season for the league, and seen by some to be the inaugural season. Before the season began, there was already interest by the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) in China's hockey program. In addition to the five teams which took part in the tournament the year before, the league added Golden Amur
Golden Amur
The Golden Amur are a defunct professional ice hockey team from Khabarovsk, Russia. Golden Amur played one season as a member of Asia League Ice Hockey during the 2004-05 season. The Amur, a gold mining company which owned the team, suspended operations due to a financial difficulties. The team...
from Russia as well as Harbin and Qiqihar from China. The first season had a schedule of 42 games. Teams played each other six times during the season. In December 2004 there was speculation by the South Korean media that North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
could potentially field a team in the league, but that never materialized. The league also had an all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
which took place on January 22 and 23, 2005 in Kushiro. The league was broken up into two teams, the Blue Orion and Red Antares. Fans voted on their favorite players and coaches. The most popular vote was for the forward position on the Blue Orion which received over 45,000 votes. Masatoshi Ito received the most votes with 9741. The skill competition and game were both won by the Blue Orion. The regular season finished with the Nippon Paper Cranes and Kokudo both having 98 points. After applying the league's tie-breaking procedure, the Nippon Paper Cranes were ranked first. The Nippon Paper Cranes also won the points race holding the top three spots in goals scored with Masatoshi Ito taking top honours at 33 goals. Darcy Mitani, also from the Cranes, took top spot in assists with 44 and points with 69. The playoffs saw the top four teams advance. The Golden Amur were swept in three games by Kokudo and the Cranes beat the Oji Paper in a close series, three games to one. The final was between the Cranes and Kokudo. While the Cranes won the first game, Kokudo won three games straight and won the playoffs. Chris Yule of Kokudo acquired ten points in the playoffs to lead the league while Chris Lindberg
Chris Lindberg
Christopher Lawrence Lindberg is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.Lindberg was a member of the Canadian 1992 Winter Olympics ice hockey team, winning a silver medal. He would also play professionally in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames and the Quebec Nordiques...
of the Cranes led the league in goals scored with six. Several players from Kokudo and the Cranes all had five assists. The 2005 ALH Awards were held in Tokyo and announced in April. Among the awards Kikuchi Naoya a goaltender for Kokudo was voted Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(MVP) and Matsuda Keisuke of the Nikkō Ice Bucks was voted Young Guy of the Year.
The 2005–06 season saw a number of changes to the make-up of Asia League. In the off-season the Golden Amur withdrew from the league due to financial trouble. At the same time it was announced that Kangwon Land
High1
High1 are a professional ice hockey team based in Chuncheon, South Korea, and a member of Asia League Ice Hockey. Formed in 2004, the team was initially made up of players from the defunct Korean league who didn't immediately move to Anyang Halla from the Hyundai and Dongwon teams as well as other...
was showing interest in entering a team in the league. However, only a few weeks later, they withdrew their application because it was felt their team wasn't strong enough to enter the league. The league also revised the limits on the number of imports some teams were allowed to have. Halla and the Ice Bucks were both allowed to carry an additional import player while the two Chinese teams were permitted two more import players. It was announced in July, 2005 that Anyang Halla Winia
Anyang Halla
The Anyang Halla are a professional ice hockey team based in Anyang City in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. They are one of the founding and current members of the Asia League Ice Hockey . Formed in 1994, they are the oldest professional ice hockey team, and one of only two professional teams, in South...
would change their name to Anyang Halla. In late July, the league announced that Kangwon Land had acquired some imports and strengthened the team. They had applied again and were expected to enter the league that season. As well another new team, the Nordic Vikings
Nordic Vikings
The Nordic Vikings are a defunct professional ice hockey team from Beijing, China. The Nordic Vikings played one season as a member of Asia League Ice Hockey during the 2005-06 season at the Hosa Skating Center...
, was expected to join the league. The Nordic Vikings were a Swedish/Chinese joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
that saw the team based out of Beijing. As part of the venture Swedish players were also sent to the two existing Chinese teams. This brought the league to its high point of nine teams. Even though there were more teams than in the previous season the league reduced the number of games from 42 to 38. This resulted in an uneven schedule. For example the Korean teams played nine games against each other, while playing four games against the teams from Japan and China except the Nordic Vikings who they played five times. At the end of the regular season the Nippon Paper Cranes had captured first place for a second year in a row with 95 points. While the Cranes had a very strong showing in the point rankings, the top goal scorer was Song Dong-hwan
Song Dong-hwan
Song Dong-hwan is a professional ice hockey forward for Nikkō Ice Bucks. Nicknamed "Korean Rocket", he won the scoring title with 31 goals in the 2005-2006 regular season for Asia League Ice Hockey. Song was the first Korean player to do so...
from Anyang Halla with 31. Derek Plante
Derek Plante
Derek John Plante is an American ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Plante played eight seasons in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. He was a member of the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars...
led in assists with 47 and overall points with 75. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs with the top two teams, the Cranes and Halla, receiving a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
to the semi-finals. In the first round Kokudo swept the Ice Bucks while Oji Paper defeated the Vikings three games to one. In the second round Kokudo faced Halla who was making their playoff debut. Kokudo won that series three games to one. On the other side the Cranes faced off against Oji Paper and swept them in three games. The final was again the Cranes vs Kokudo and once again Kokudo emerged victorious claiming the title for the second year in a row. Kokudo had three players claiming the three top points spots for the playoffs. Joel Prpic was the top goal scorer with nine, Kiyoshi Fujita had the most assists with 12 and Takahito Suzuki
Takahito Suzuki
Takahito Suzuki , born August 17, 1975, is a Japanese professional ice hockey Right Winger currently playing for the Nikkō Ice Bucks of the Asia League....
had the most points with 18. Kikuchi Naoya won MVP of the year for the second time and Young Guy of the Year went to Masahito Nishiwaki of the Cranes.
Further changes were seen in the league in the 2006–07 season. After the last season The Nordic Vikings were looking for sponsors for the team. However, they failed to find sufficient sponsorship and left the league due to financial trouble. Harbin moved their home rink to Beijing and changed their name to Hosa to reflect this. Qiqihar acquired a new sponsor and changed their name to Changchun Fuao. Kokudo also changed their name to the Seibu Prince Rabbits. With eight teams, the league further reduced the number of games played to 34, which again resulted in an uneven play schedule. The Chinese based teams, for example, played each other and the Korean teams each six times but only played the Japanese teams four times. The Paper Cranes easily won the regular season again finishing first with 86 points. With the previous year's goal leader not participating the scoring race went to Tim Smith
Tim Smith (ice hockey)
Tim Smith is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward with High1 of the Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:Smith played major junior in the WHL for four seasons with the Spokane Chiefs and Swift Current Broncos...
of Kangwon Land. He led the league with 30 goals. Patrik Martinec
Patrik Martinec
Patrik Martinec is a former professional ice hockey forward who played his last 5 seasons for Anyang Halla of the Asia League Ice Hockey, from South Korea. He has garnered much popularity for his puck-handling ability...
of Halla led the league with 53 assists and 71 points. The playoffs followed the same format as the year before and six teams advanced. Kangwon Land swept Halla in three games and Oji Paper beat the Ice Bucks three games to one. While it was inevitable with two Korean teams facing each other, it marks the first time a non-Japanese team won a playoff series in Asia League. The second round was over quickly as the Cranes and Rabbits who both had byes swept their opponents in three games each. For the third year in a row the final was between the Paper Cranes and the Rabbits. The Cranes took the series in four games. Joel Prpic won himself another scoring title as he led the playoffs in goals, 8, and points, 17. Kengo Itoh for the Cranes had the most assists with 13. At the awards ceremony Itoh also took the award for MVP of the Year while Jun Tonosaki received the award for Young Guy of the Year.
The 2007–08 season started with a further reduction in teams. Harbin and Qiqihar combined into a single team and became owned and operated by the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
. They took the name of their new owner and became the China Sharks. Kangwon Land renamed to High1. With only seven teams the league reduced the amount of games played to their lowest at just 30 games. The league continued with an unbalanced schedule and the Korean and Chinese teams played each other more than the Japanese teams did. After three years of dominance the Nippon Paper Cranes slipped to fourth place and the regular season was won by the Prince Rabbits. Alex Kim
Alex Kim
Alex Kim is an American professional ice hockey center. He's playing in his second season for Anyang Halla. He previously played for rival High1. He has a two year contract with the team.-External links:*...
, playing for High1, recorded the most goals with 23 and most points with 51. Joel Prpic continued to find himself on top of the pack with 30 assists. With six of seven teams going to the playoffs the Sharks were the only team that didn't find themselves in a playoff spot. The first round was over quickly as the Cranes swept Halla in three games and Oji did the same to the Ice Bucks. Nippon faced their rivals, the Rabbits, in the second round and defeated them three to one. High1 couldn't repeat their success from the previous year by winning a series and were swept by Oji in three games. For the first time the final series was not between the Cranes and Rabbits. Oji continued to roll over their opponents and swept the Cranes, marking the only time a team in Asia League had swept its way through three rounds. Due to their dominance on the ice, the point race was also swept by Oji. Takeshi Saito
Takeshi Saito
Takeshi Saitō , born April 8, 1981, is a Japanese professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Oji Eagles of the Asia League....
led the playoffs with nine assists and 15 points, while Shane Endicott had the most goals with 6. Kunihiko Sakurai, also from Oji, won the MVP of the Year and Eum Hyun-Seung
Eum Hyun-Seung
Eum Hyun-Seung is a Korean ice hockey goaltender. He now plays for Anyang Halla. He previously played 3 seasons as the starting goaltender for rival High1. Eum was named the best goalkeeper of the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A tournament.-References:...
, from High1, won the Young Guy of the Year award.
2008 - present
After several years of many changes to the teams, the 2008–09 season came with only one change. Oji Paper renamed themselves to Oji Eagles in July 2008. The league increased China's allowance to seven import players to help their competitiveness. Prior to the start of the regular season a series of exhibition games, dubbed "Anyang Cup 2008" was held in Anyang. Five of the seven teams in the league participated with the Ice Bucks and Rabbits sitting out. Oji won the exhibition tournament without losing a game. The league increased the amount of games played to 36 and balanced the schedule by having all teams play each other an equal amount. Early in the season the Halla coach, Shim Eui-sik was suspended for refusal to play after a disputed goal against High1. Halla was forced to forfeit the game, but at the end of the regular season they had finished in first place with 76 points, becoming the first non-Japanese team to do so. Brock RadunskeBrock Radunske
Brock Radunske is a professional ice hockey forward for Anyang Halla of Asia League Ice Hockey in South Korea. He was selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, 79th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers....
of Halla finished first in goals and points with 29 and 57 respectively. Kunihiko Sakurai, a previous MVP, finished on top with 40 assists in the regular season. The league reduced the number of teams making the playoffs and only five teams advanced. The first round saw a short three games series between the Cranes and High1. The Cranes swept High1 in two games. The second round found the regular season winners, Halla, facing the Cranes and Oji facing the Rabbits. Halla and the Cranes took it to seven games, but Halla lost on home ice. After the previous year's record setting playoff run, Oji found themselves swept by the Rabbits in four games. For the fourth time in five years the final was between the Rabbits and Cranes. The Cranes won for the second time. The Cranes swept the playoffs point race with Kengo Itoh taking the lead with 16 assists and 21 points. Masahito Nishiwaki led with 12 goals. Brock Radunske took the award for MVP of the Year marking the first time the award has gone to an import player. Young Guy of the Year went to Kim Ki-sung
Kim Ki-sung
Kim Ki-sung is a Korean professional ice hockey left winger. Ki-sung was voted the "Young guy of the year" in his first season in Asia League Ice Hockey.-Sources/External References:...
, also from Halla.
After a season with little change to the make-up of the league, the 2009–2010 saw further change. The San Jose Sharks ended their association with the Chinese team. They pulled out all coaches and players they had sent. The Chinese Ice Hockey Association
Chinese Ice Hockey Association
The Chinese Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey and bandy in the People's Republic of China. It´s a member of International Ice Hockey Federation since 1963 and of Federation of International Bandy since 2010.-External links:...
took over the team and brought in new import players and coaches to replace those lost. The team also changed its name from China Sharks to China Dragon. Mid-way through the previous season the Seibu Prince Rabbits announced that due to financial difficulties they would withdraw from the league at the end of the 2008–09 season. They were unable to find a buyer and the team folded. However, another team from Japan joined the league in the off-season. The Tohoku Free Blades
Tohoku Free Blades
The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.Founded in 2008, they are playing their first Asia League season in 2009.-Community Contributions:...
were able to hire enough players and imports to join the league in time for the beginning of the season. This again left the league with seven teams. The league left the amount of games played at 36, marking the first time that the league didn't adjust the schedule from the previous year. The league also introduced a couple of rules changes. All face-offs will take place on one of the nine face-off dots as well teams will no longer be allowed to change after an icing. Anyang Halla repeated as the regular season champions finishing with 79 points and 23 wins. The team also set the record for the most goals by a team in a 36 game season with 180. Alex Kim and Tim Smith lead the points race. Both finished with 75 points on the season, with Kim taking the goal scoring race with 29 and Smith taking the assists race with 48. The League further reduced the amount of teams making the playoffs to only four. As well they brought in referees from outside the league to assist in officiating. The two Korean teams faced each other in one semi-final guaranteeing for the first time that a Korean team would appear in the final. Halla defeated High1 in four games after a loss on home ice. The Cranes similarly defeated the Eagles in four games. The final was a close series, needing all five games and with four of the five games only being decided by a single goal. In the final game, Halla tied the game with 17 seconds remaining and in over-time the team captain, Kim Woo-jae
Kim Woo-jae
Kim Woo-jae is a professional ice hockey Defenceman. A former graduate of Yeon-Sae University, he debuted with Anynag Halla in 2002. After 4 seasons, he signed with Jokipojat Joensuu for the 06-07' season. After one season in the Mestis league, he moved back to his old team. He was named the...
scored to give Halla a victory and mark the first time a non-Japanese team had won the cup. In the play-offs Brock Radunske led with six goals and 13 points overall while Darcy Takeshi Mitani led with 8 assists. Patrik Martinec took regular season MVP honors, and Cho Min-ho
Cho Min-ho
Cho Min-ho is a Korean professional ice hockey center. He is playing in his second year for Anyang Halla.Cho signed 3 year-deal with the club in May, 2009. Cho won 2009-2010 Young Guy of the Year award.-Sources/External References:...
, also from Halla, was named Young Guy of the Year.
The 2010-2011 season saw virtually no change to the structure of the season or league. All teams from the previous season remained in the league, and the amount of games remained at 36. The regular season ran from September 18, 2010 to February 20, 2011. After two years of leading the league, Halla slipped to fourth place and Oji Eagles took the regular season honors with 76 points. Shunhei Kuji of Oji lead the league with 24 goals, while his teammate Yosuke Kon led with 45 assists. However, with a couple of second place finishes, Go Tanaka of the Free Blades led the overall points race with 59. The League also maintained the number of play-off teams at four. Anyang faced Oji while Nippon faced Tohoku. Halla managed to take two of three in Japan and defeat Oji on home ice to advance. The Free Blades needed all five games to defeat the Cranes but the team came back with two straight wins to advance to the final for the first time in their short time in the league. However, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
near the Free Blades hometown forced the League to cancel the finals. Halla had already in Japan just an hour before the disaster struck the area. Fortunately, both teams survived, but the League felt the final could not go on. On March 22, 2011 the League declared that both Halla and the Free Blades would be declared co-champions. Though shortened, Masato Domeki of Oji led the playoffs with four goals, Bruce Mulherin led with six assists and fellow Free Blade Brad Farynuk had eights points overall.
Game
Each Asia League Ice Hockey regulation game is an ice hockey game played between two teams and is 60 minutes long. The game comprises three 20-minute periods separated by two 15 minute intermissions. While some teams have television broadcast contracts, they do not take television time-outs like the NHL. At the end of the 60 minute game, the team with the most goals wins. If the game is tied at the end of 60 minutes, the teams play an overtimeOvertime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
period. Overtime is five minutes, with four skaters on each team. If the game remains tied after five minutes, then the teams partake in a three player shoot-out, until one team comes out ahead. Prior to the 2008–09 season these games ended in a tie with no shoot-out. In a playoff game the league doesn't use the shoot-out and instead the teams play continual overtime periods of 20 minutes until one team scores.
Imports
Asia League was created primarily for the development of hockey in Asia. The league allows teams to hire a small number of imports to play on the team in order to even out strength as well as increase the level of competitiveness in the league. Playing against more skilled foreign players will allow players from the participating countries to increase their skills and benefit from having some more experienced players on their teams. China is allowed the most imports while the experienced Japanese teams are allowed the fewest. As part of some sponsorship deals China was provided western players from the San Jose Sharks, and the two Chinese teams were provided Swedish players when the Nordic Vikings were active in the league.Several National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players have played in the league, including Greg Parks
Greg Parks
Gregory Roy Parks is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He won a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. He would also play 23 games in the National Hockey League with the New York Islanders-External links:...
, Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen
Esa Tikkanen is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He played for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, St...
, Chris Lindberg
Chris Lindberg
Christopher Lawrence Lindberg is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.Lindberg was a member of the Canadian 1992 Winter Olympics ice hockey team, winning a silver medal. He would also play professionally in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames and the Quebec Nordiques...
, Tavis Hansen
Tavis Hansen
Tavis Svend Hansen is a retired professional ice hockey player.Hansen played 2 seasons of junior hockey for the Tacoma Rockets of the Western Hockey League....
, Shjon Podein
Shjon Podein
Shjon Podein is an American former professional ice hockey left winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues....
, Jason Podollan
Jason Podollan
Jason Podollan is a Canadian former ice hockey player.Podollan was drafted 31st overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers from the Western Hockey League's Spokane Chiefs. He played in 41 games in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los...
, Derek Plante
Derek Plante
Derek John Plante is an American ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Plante played eight seasons in the National Hockey League for the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. He was a member of the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars...
, Steve McKenna
Steve McKenna
Steve McKenna is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played both defense and left wing. He was a veteran of eight seasons in the NHL.-Playing career:...
, Jarrod Skalde
Jarrod Skalde
Jarrod Skalde is a Canadian ice hockey centre who is currently the head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL....
, Joel Prpic
Joel Prpic
Joel Melvin Prpic is a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Croatian ancestry who is currently playing with Croatian team, KHL Medveščak Zagreb, in the Austrian Hockey League.- Playing career :...
, Tyson Nash
Tyson Nash
Tyson Scott Nash is a former ice hockey left winger. He announced his retirement on September 11, 2008. He last played for the Nippon Paper Cranes in Japan during the 2007–08 season....
, Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan
Jamie McLennan is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. He retired from playing in 2008 after spending a season with the Nippon Paper Cranes of Asia League Ice Hockey.-Playing career:...
, Shane Endicott
Shane Endicott
Shane Endicott is a professional ice hockey centre currently playing for SG Pontebba of the Italian Serie A.-Playing career:...
, Wade Flaherty
Wade Flaherty
Wade Flaherty is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and the Nashville Predators, as well as several teams in the American Hockey League and East Coast...
, Kelly Fairchild
Kelly Fairchild
Kelly Fairchild is a former professional ice hockey player. He played in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche.-Playing career:...
, Brad Tiley
Brad Tiley
Bradley Phillip Tiley is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman.-Playing career:Tiley was drafted 84th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League...
, Ricard Persson
Ricard Persson
Ricard Persson is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. Persson played in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, and Ottawa Senators. Persson is currently with SG Cortina of the Serie A.-Playing career:...
, Bryan Young
Bryan Young (ice hockey)
Bryan Young is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman currently playing for High1 of the Asia League Ice Hockey.He was selected in the 5th round, 146th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Oilers....
, Claude Lemieux
Claude Lemieux
Claude Percy Lemieux is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. He last played for the San Jose Sharks before announcing his retirement on July 8, 2009. He is one of only ten players in Stanley Cup history to win the Cup with three different teams. His 80 career playoff goals are the...
, Brad Fast
Brad Fast
Brad Fast is a former professional ice hockey defenceman. He spent his amateur career in the British Columbia Hockey League, and was selected in the third round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 84th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes. He played for ERC Ingolstadt in the German Eishockey League for...
and Cole Jarrett
Cole Jarrett
Cole Jarrett is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, who currently plays for the Graz 99ers.-Playing career:Jarrett played one NHL game with the New York Islanders during the 2005–06 season. After a year with the Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga Jarrett signed with HPK in the...
.
Teams
Early in its existence the league hoped to quickly expand to 12 teams but due to some teams having financial difficulties they didn't attain it. In its 2010–11 season, Asia League Hockey has 7 teams, including 4 teams from Japan; 2 teams from South Korea; and 1 from China.| Team | City/Area | Arena | Founded | Joined ALIH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anyang Halla Anyang Halla The Anyang Halla are a professional ice hockey team based in Anyang City in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. They are one of the founding and current members of the Asia League Ice Hockey . Formed in 1994, they are the oldest professional ice hockey team, and one of only two professional teams, in South... |
 Anyang |
Anyang Ice Arena | 1994 | 2003 |
| China Dragon |  ShanghaiShanghai Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010... |
Songjiang Stadium | 2007 | |
| High1 High1 High1 are a professional ice hockey team based in Chuncheon, South Korea, and a member of Asia League Ice Hockey. Formed in 2004, the team was initially made up of players from the defunct Korean league who didn't immediately move to Anyang Halla from the Hyundai and Dongwon teams as well as other... |
Chuncheon Chuncheon Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam... |
Eui Am Ice Rink/Goyang SPART Complex | 2004 | 2005 |
| Nikkō Ice Bucks |  Nikkō |
Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena The Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena is an indoor sporting arena in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Nikkō Ice Bucks of the Asia League Ice Hockey.... |
1999 | 2003 |
| Nippon Paper Cranes Nippon Paper Cranes The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Kushiro City in Hokkaidō, Japan.The club were founded as Jūjō Paper Kushiro Ice Hockey Club in 1949. They adopted the new name Nippon Paper Cranes in 1994 when Jūjō Paper and Sanyō Kokusaku Pulp merged to form Nippon Paper.They won the inaugural... |
Kushiro |
Kushiro Ice Arena Kushiro Ice Arena The Kushiro Ice Arena is an arena in the city of Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League Ice Hockey.... |
1949 | 2003 |
| Oji Eagles | Tomakomai |
Hakucho Arena Hakucho Arena The is an indoor sporting arena located in Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan. The arena opened in 1996. It has a capacity of 4,015 . It is the home arena of the Oji Eagles ice hockey team.-References:*... |
1925 | 2003 |
| Tohoku Free Blades Tohoku Free Blades The are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan.Founded in 2008, they are playing their first Asia League season in 2009.-Community Contributions:... |
Hachinohe Hachinohe, Aomori - Neighbouring municipalities :Aomori Prefecture*Sannohe District**Hashikami**Gonohe**Nanbu*Kamikita District**OiraseIwate Prefecture*Karumai-History:... |
Niida Indoor Rink | 2008 | 2009 |
Season structure
Asia League Ice Hockey season is divided into three parts. The late summer and early autumn comprise training campTraining camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
s and exhibition
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
play. After that the regular season takes place, which lasts for several months dependent on the schedule. Finally several teams advance to a post-season playoff. This is an elimination tournament where teams play a "best-of" format to advance through the rounds. The final remaining team is crowned the champion for the year.
The regular season has been changed in almost every season that Asia League has been in operation. The first full season mirrors the two most recent seasons in which all teams play all other teams six times. With the amount of teams changing from season to season in the first few years the league adjusted the schedule each year which often included an unbalanced schedule. Under the current schedule all teams make an away visit to each other team's home rink for a three game series and also play a three game series against that team at their own home rink. In order to minimize travel, teams traveling to other countries will stay there for two weeks and play two teams, except in the case of China who only has one team. Teams going to Japan will play against the Cranes and Eagles on the same trip as they are geographically close together, then in another trip play against the Free Blades and Ice Bucks.
The league ranks the teams by points. A regulation time win is worth three points. If the teams are tied at the end of regulation, both teams receive one point. The team which is victorious either in the overtime period or overtime shoot-out receives an additional point. A regulation time loss is worth zero points.
At the end of the regular season the team which has the most points is awarded the title of regular season champion. The league in the past generally takes a several week break between the regular season and postseason. As with the regular season, the format of the playoffs has varied from year to year. In the 2009–10 season the top four teams advanced to the playoffs and play two best-of-five rounds. The league scheduled the end of the regular season and postseason around the Olympic break. In each round the higher ranked team from the regular season will receive a home-ice advantage and the series will begin play and have the majority of games play in their rink.