| HC Nikkō Ice Bucks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City: | Nikkō, Tochigi |
| League: | Asia League Ice Hockey |
| Founded: | 1999 |
| Home Arena: | Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena (capacity 2,000) |
| Colors: | |
| Head Coach: | Murai Tadahiro |
The HC Nikkō Ice Bucks are an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan.
Logo design: The word IceBucks in italicized English in black with white trim, with the words "NIKKO KOBE" in bold italics in orange trimmed with white
Mascot: An orange and white furred male deer wearing a hockey helmet.
History[]
The Nikkō area has a long history of ice hockey, with the Furukawa Electric semi-professional team (one of the oldest in Japan) having been established in 1925, and becoming a founding member of the Japanese Ice Hockey League in 1966. In 1999, however, the team was forced to disband due to financial difficulties.
A outflow of support from the city and local financing allowed the team to be recreated as a club team, supported locally. It was renamed the HC Nikkō IceBucks and joined the league in time for the next season's start. The team, despite fervent local support, was never one of the successes of the JIHL even when they were supported as Furukawa Electric, and had a rocky start as the HC Nikkō IceBucks, having to relaunch their business model in 2001. The team has consistently placed near or at the bottom of the league.
When the league expanded into the Asia League Ice Hockey, Nikkō was one of the teams that was part of the new league. In the summer of 2005, the team arranged to play a number of its home games in Kobe, Hyogo, and changed its name to the Nikkō Kobe IceBucks to reflect its new two-city home. In 2007-2008 season Kobe is no longer home and the name was reverted to the older HC Nikkō Ice Bucks.
Honours[]
- Japan League championships: none
- Asia League championships: none
Year-by-year record[]
Hiroshi Shiratori wearing the Ice Buck's away jersey preparing his ice during a game vs the Anyang Halla on January 10, 2009
JIHL 1999-2004[]
| Season | GP | W | W(OT) | W(PS) | T | L(PS) | L(OT) | L | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 45 | 106 | 11 | 6th/6 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2000-01 | 40 | 10 | 1 | 29 | 91 | 164 | 21 | 6th/6 | Out of playoffs | ||||
| 2001-02 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 103 | 163 | 23.0 | 6th/6 | Out of playoffs | |
| 2002-03 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 68 | 114 | 23.0 | 5th/5 | Out of playoffs | |
| 2002-03 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 33 | 112 | 4.5 | 4th/4 | ? | |
| 2003-04 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 19 | 56 | 0.0 | 4th/4 | ? |
ALIH 2003-present[]
complete records for previous seasons
| Season | GP | W | W(OT) | W(GWS)* | T | L(GWS)* | L(OT) | L | GF | GA | PTS | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 16 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | — | 0 | 12 | 38 | 67 | 6 | 5th/5 | No Playoffs due to shortened season |
| 2004–05 | 42 | 13 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 24 | 110 | 125 | 45 | 6th/8 | N/A |
| 2005–06 | 38 | 16 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 17 | 103 | 118 | 55 | 6th/9 | Lost in quarter-final |
| 2006–07 | 34 | 12 | 0 | — | 1 | — | 0 | 21 | 90 | 158 | 37 | 6th/8 | Lost in semi-final |
| 2007–08 | 30 | 8 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 0 | 18 | 60 | 109 | 30 | 6th/7 | Lost in quarter-final |
| 2008–09 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 27 | 74 | 161 | 20 | 7th/7 | N/A |
| 2009–10 | 36 | 12 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 17 | 103 | 118 | 46 | 6th/7 | N/A |
*prior to the 2008–2009 season, there were no shoot-outs and games ended in a tie
Current roster[]
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Country | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth |
| 29 | 
|
Ito Keisuke | 2010 | Japan | |
| 39 |
|
Kikuchi Naoya | 2009 | Japan | |
| 44 |
|
Fukufuji Yutaka | L | 2010 | Japan |
| Defencemen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Country | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 2 |
|
Hagiwara Yugo (A) | 2006 | Japan | ||
| 3 |
|
Yamaguchi Kazuyoshi | 2009 | Japan | ||
| 6 |
|
Sumida Yousuke | 2010 | Japan | ||
| 7 |
|
Fukuzawa Noaya | 2008 | Japan | ||
| 22 |
|
Ohkubo Tomohito | 2009 | Japan | ||
| 34 |
|
Okamoto Toshiaki | 2007 | Japan | ||
| 43 |
|
Kawamura Masahiro | 2009 | Japan | ||
|
Richard Rochefort | 2010 | Canada | |||
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Country | Player | Position | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth |
| 8 |
|
Suzuki Takahito (C) | W | R | 2009 | Japan |
| 11 |
|
Tsukada Hiroyuki | 2008 | Japan | ||
| 12 |
|
Uchiyama Tomohiko | W | 2009 | Japan | |
| 13 |
|
Tagawa Akira | W | 2010 | Japan | |
| 15 |
|
Kurata Ryuichi | L | 2010 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| 16 |
|
Tsuchida Hideji | W | Japan | ||
| 17 |
|
Takahashi Kazuma | 2009 | Hachinohe, Japan | ||
| 18 |
|
Tsuji Kojiro | W | 2004 | Japan | |
| 19 |
|
Nakai Musashi | C | 2007 | Japan | |
| 45 |
|
Setaka Tetsuo (A) | C | 2005 | Japan | |
| 47 |
|
Shinohara Kota (A) | C | 2005 | Japan | |
| 58 |
|
Bud Smith | C | 2009 | Rochfort Bridge, Canada | |
Past import players[]
Martin Kariya 2004-05, LW (Brother of Paul Kariya and Steve Kariya)- Shjon Podein 2005-06, LW (Former Oilers/Flyers/Avalanche/Blues)
- Chris Paradise 2005-06, C
- Mike Henderson 2006-07, RW
- Eric LaFreniere 2008-09, RW
- Mickey Gilchrist 2008-09, C
References[]
External links[]
- (Japanese) Nikko Ice Bucks - official website
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