WOW | Akito Hirose reveals a massive change in his game that defined the player he is today

Akito Hirose first followed his brother's footsteps, Taro Hirose, a forward in the Red Wings' organizations. He played in Edge School before joining the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, as a forward. You read that correctly, Hirose started his junior career as a forward and made the switch prior to his second season.

Funny enough, Hirose went from being 10 points forward to a 51 points defenseman in one of the best Junior Hockey leagues in Canada.
Which is when he then committed to play NCAA hockey at Minnesota State Univ. (Mankato).

That surely says a lot about his ability to adapt and adjust. Lots of people that witnessed his development pointed out his elevated hockey IQ. Once Hirose made the switch his progression skyrocketed and it led him to who he is today. One of his former coaches even referred to him as the undeniable MVP in his final Junior year when he managed 51 points in 58 games, over Kent Johnson, who was the 5th Overall pick in the 2021 Draft (He had 101 points that season).

To know that Hirose has only been playing defense for the last 6 years surely says a lot about his hockey IQ and ability to adjust. Not only does it explain why he had been looked over all these years but it leads us to believe that there is much to uncover about his true ceiling.

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