Hockey prodigy Aito Iguchi puts on ludicrous GoPro showcase (Video)

NHL teams should probably start making plans to tank for prodigy Aito Iguchi in 2021.

Hockey has seen some significant global growth. Recently, Auston Matthews became the first ever number one pick from the state of Arizona. It might not be too long before the NHL sees its first number one pick from Japan. Prodigy Aito Iguchi is already turning heads at the age of 13. He will be draft eligible in 2021.

The video is a bit long so here is a gif from the video.

His puck handling skills are outstanding for any age, let alone 13 years old. Iguchi and his family have moved to Canada so Iguchi can get the best tutoring available. He is currently being tutored by Pavel Barber, a famous stick-handling specialist. While his size is currently a concern, he is only 13 so he can still grow quite a bit. Even if he doesn’t grow, Martin St. Louis and Johnny Gaudreau give a blueprint of how to succeed in the NHL despite a lack of size.

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Iguchi is training in Vancouver. He has already proven he belongs among the elite players of his age group. Hockey prospects are very difficult to project and many “can’t miss” players have, well, missed. But Iguchi appears to be as gifted and skilled as any player in recent memory.

Several Japanese players have been drafted by the NHL. While Taro Tsujimoto was later proven to be a practical joke, players like Devon Setoguchi, Richard Park, and Paul Kariya have some Asian in them. Yutaka Fukufuji was the first Japanese goaltender to be drafted after the Los Angeles Kings did so in 2004.

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If drafted in the first round, Iguchi will be the first player from Japan selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. Don’t let anyone tell you hockey isn’t growing because Iguchi is proof it is.