Hirose makes impact from college to pros

By Kara Keating, griffinshockey.com

From Michigan State to Detroit and now in Grand Rapids, Taro Hirose has made a positive impact on every team he’s played for recently.

Before starting his professional career, Hirose became one of the top players at Michigan State during his freshman year in 2016-17, ranking second on the team in point production with 24. The following year, he and linemates Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski combined to accumulate nearly half of the team’s total points.

Even though he was undrafted in the NHL, Hirose continued to thrive in East Lansing every season and was named an assistant captain as a junior.

In his three campaigns as a Spartan, Hirose tallied 116 points (33-83--116) in 106 games. During his final season in 2018-19, he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and was named the Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the conference and all Division I players with 50 points in 36 appearances.

“The three years there were unbelievable for me,” Hirose said. “They have a great group of guys there and Danton Cole is a great coach. I was able to learn a lot, work on my game and get stronger in a lot of different areas.”

When it came to game time, opposing teams knew what they were going up against. Griffins assistant coach Todd Krygier, in his first season in Grand Rapids, spent the previous three as an assistant at Western Michigan and coached against the Spartans numerous times. He knew it would be a challenge to shut down MSU’s top skater in Hirose.

“He’s a really intelligent player,” Krygier said. “He handles the puck, he makes plays and sees the game really well. We would have to make sure we were shutting him down and being physical. We’d try to get the guys to take away his time and space because when he has that, he is a really good player.”

Following the end of the 2018-19 season, which ended with a loss in the Big Ten Tournament to Notre Dame on March 9, Hirose inked a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings three days later. He then made his first appearance in the Winged Wheel uniform on March 19 against the New York Rangers. For him, this decision to leave Michigan State after three years was easy to make.

“I was playing really well at the end of last year and it felt like the right time for me to leave,” Hirose said.

Krygier’s twin sons, Cole and Christian, played their freshman season alongside Hirose last year and after Krygier attended a few games, he noticed the impact his playing style made on the Spartans.

“I know the twins really spoke highly of Taro on how good of a player he was at Michigan State,” Krygier said. “They had basically one of the top lines in college hockey. He just added an element to that top line. It was fun to watch when I would go to Michigan State games and watch that line play because Taro did a great job. That’s why he got an NHL contract and why he’s played in the NHL.”

Since forgoing his senior season, Hirose noticed his strengths after making the jump from college hockey straight into the pros.

In his first five games for the Red Wings, he tied Dylan Larkin’s franchise record with the longest point streak to begin an NHL career prior to his first NHL goal, which he scored on March 31 against Boston. The Calgary, Alberta, native totaled one goal and six assists in 10 games during his NHL debut.

The transition from the two drastically different levels made it tricky at first with the faster pace of play and skill levels of players. However, with the help of the veterans on Detroit, it made it easier for Hirose to acclimate to the best league and players in the world.

“It took a bit of adjusting to get to that pro style of game, but at the same time the guys up there are really helpful,” Hirose said. “They helped me just adjust to the game style up there and it made everything really easy. Anytime you get to play in the NHL and you have a little bit of success it will boost your confidence.”

After completing training camp, Hirose earned his spot on the Red Wings’ roster this season. A quarter of the way through, he tallied two goals and five assists. Then on Dec. 3, the Red Wings assigned him to the Griffins.

Following his 23 appearances in Detroit, Hirose knew the decision of going down to Grand Rapids was possible and felt that playing more frequently in the AHL would improve his skills later down the road.

“This season I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted to,” Hirose said. “Playing with a great group of guys down here, being able to play a little bit more and feel the puck a little bit more was a big thing for me.”

Hirose currently leads the team with 21 points and 17 assists since joining the Griffins.

As for Krygier, who manages the forwards and power play unit, he is seeing the improvement as the season continues to get more intense.

“He’s getting faster,” Krygier said. “He plays a very similar style game of intelligent and smart playmaking. He’s always looking to distribute the puck and I think he is just doing it at a faster pace and at a higher level.”

Hirose was called back up to Detroit along with defenseman Gustav Lindstrom on Feb. 5. He went on to play three more games before being sent back to Grand Rapids less than a week later.

Now with a tight race for the four playoff spots in the Central Division, he knows now is the time to battle for spot in the AHL playoffs.

“It’s tough going up and down but at the same time there’s always positives and negatives,” Hirose said. “I felt more comfortable going up this time and a little bit more confident with the puck and being able to make plays. It was a good experience up there for me and now I’m back here just trying to get the team a win.”

Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins