CANADIAN centre Jordan Kawaguchi has signed for the Belfast Giants ahead of the 2024/25 season.
The 27-year-old will don the teal of the Giants after two years with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL, a professional league in the United States.
In the Navy Blue and Silver of Idaho (a farm team of the Dallas Stars in the NHL), Kawaguchi scored 83 total points in 87 appearances between 2022 and 2024.
He said: “I am excited to be a Giant and to be coming to Belfast to be a part of the winning culture that the organisation has built.
“I look forward to meeting my teammates and feel very humbled to have this opportunity.”
His father Todd was the only son of Japanese immigrant parents and he played college ice hockey at the University of British Columbia.
He is the cousin of Devin Setoguchi, who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and the LA Kings.
Jordan Kawaguchi himself played for the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, scoring 126 total points in 136 games for the Fighting Hawks.
Kawaguchi is the Giants’ 12th new signing of the summer window with head coach Adam Keefe looking to go one step further than last year and regain Belfast’s place at the top of the Elite Hockey League.
“Jordan has some built-in chemistry with ex-University of North Dakota teammates, Gabe Bast and Grant Mismash,” said Keefe.
“He is a very skilled and passionate player who can not only put the puck in the net but also compete on all areas of the ice.
“That sort of combination is what we’re looking for in Belfast and believe that Jordan is the type of player that you win with.”
The Giants open their season against the Cardiff Devils at the SSE Arena on August 24.
