Takeshi Yamanaka

Takeshi Yamanaka (山中 武司, Yamanaka Takeshi, born 30 January 1971) is a former professional Japanese ice hockey player and current coach. He competed with Team Japan as a defenceman in the men's ice hockey tournament at the 1998 Winter Olympics.[1]

Takeshi Yamanaka
at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Ladies World Championship
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born (1971-01-30) 30 January 1971
Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan
Sport
SportIce hockey

Having coached professionally in the Asia League, he is currently the assistant coach for the Jr. A Kanata Lasers in the CCHL.[2] He is also takes time to give back to his hockey community through volunteer coaching for the Kanata Blazers Major Midget Rep. B ice hockey team.[3]

Playing career

Yamanaka made his professional debut with the Oji Seishi in the 1989-1990 season. The following year, he made his international debut with the Japanese Under-20 men's national ice hockey team at the World Junior Championships.[2] Over 11 seasons with Oji, he played in 393 games, scoring 43 times and totalling 119 points. After the conclusion of the 2001-2002 season, Yamanaka retired from playing professional hockey.

Coaching career

Yamanaka made his coaching debut with the Oji Eagles in the 2007-2008 season and later that year would coach Team Japan to a bronze medal at the World Championships.[2] After leaving the Eagles organization at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 season, Yamanaka took up the position of coaching Smile Japan. In the 2018-2019 season, he was the head coach of the U18 Team Japan.

At the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, Yamanaka began coaching as the assistant coach of the Kanata Lasers in preparation for becoming the head coach of Japan's men's national ice hockey team. He also volunteers as the assistant coach of Kanata Blazers in the OBMHL.[3]

Reputation

Yamanaka has a highly regarded reputation as a professional hockey coach. His style of coaching captivates the players' attention no matter the style of a practice drill or the situation in the game. Yamanaka's revered calmness is believed to have led him to his coaching successes.[4]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Takeshi Yamanaka Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  2. "Elite Prospects - Takeshi Yamanaka Team Staff Profile". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. "Ottawa B League | Pointstreak Stats". ottawab.wttstats.pointstreak.com. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  4. "Smile Japan aims for more glory". The Japan Times Online. 17 February 2017. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
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