Yutaka Fukufuji
| Yutaka Fukufuji | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born |
September 17, 1982 Kushiro, Hokkaidō, JPN |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
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Asia League Ice Hockey team Former teams |
Nikko Ice Bucks Bakersfield Condors (ECHL) Manchester Monarchs (AHL) Los Angeles Kings (NHL) Reading Royals (ECHL) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) Kokudo Tokyo (Asia League) Nikkō Ice Bucks(Asia League) |
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| National team |
 Japan
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| NHL Draft | 238th overall, 2004 Los Angeles Kings |
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| Playing career | 2002–present | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Representing Japan
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| Asian Games | ||
 |
2011 Astana-Almaty | Ice hockey |
Yutaka Fukufuji (福藤 豊 Fukufuji Yutaka?, born September 17, 1982) is a Japanese ice hockey player currently with the Nikko Ice Bucks of the Asia League Ice Hockey. Fukufuji was the first Japanese player to appear in a National Hockey League game. The first Japanese draft pick, Hiroyuki Miura, was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1992 NHL Draft, but never played in an NHL game. A fictional Japanese player, Taro Tsujimoto, was a name "plucked out of the Buffalo telephone book" and drafted as a joke in 1974 by Buffalo Sabres GM Punch Imlach. Fukufuji is the first Japanese citizen to be drafted as a goaltender in the NHL and second Japanese national to be drafted.
Fukufuji was born in Kushiro, Hokkaidō, Japan. He played on the Kokudo hockey team of Asia League Ice Hockey in 2001. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2004 entry draft in the 8th round, 238th overall. He made his North American debut on February 7, 2003 with the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones. He was voted the ECHL rookie of the month in January 2003. He played for the Bakersfield Condors of the ECHL in 2004–05 leading the team in wins, GAA, and shutouts. Fukufuji signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings in August 2005. After starting the 2005–06 season with the Reading Royals, the Kings ECHL franchise, Yutaka was the number 2 goalie on the AHL Manchester Monarchs for a time.
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