Ice hockey: Japan's Hirano opens one more door on journey to NHL

Yushiro Hirano said he has opened "just one door" in his quest to be the second Japan-born player in the NHL, the world's premier ice hockey league.The 23-year-old forward signed on Jan. 13 with the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, a farm club for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.The 1.85-meter, 100-kilogram Hirano spent the first half of the season in the third tier with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, scoring 10 goals with 18 assists over 35 games.His performance -- and a frighteningly powerful slap shot in particular -- earned him an invitation to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton'…READ FULL ARTICLE