Akane Shiga (Japanese: 志賀 紅音, しが あかね, Hepburn: Shiga Akane, born 3 March 2001) is a Japanese ice hockey player for Luleå HF/MSSK of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) and member of the Japanese national team. She played for Ottawa in the inaugural season of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
| Akane Shiga 志賀紅音 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Shiga with PWHL Ottawa in 2024 | |||
| Born |
3 March 2001 Obihiro, Japan | ||
| Height | 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb; 9 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| SDHL team Former teams |
Luleå HF/MSSK | ||
| National team |
 Japan | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
|
Medal record | |||
Playing career
editShiga began participating in elite-level ice hockey during the 2010s, playing in both the Women's Japan Ice Hockey League (WJIHL) and All-Japan Women's Ice Hockey Championship. She began her career with the Obihiro Ladies and later played with Toyota Cygnus.[1][2]
On 22 December 2023, Shiga signed a one-year contract with PWHL Ottawa in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Shiga was both the league's youngest player and the only player from Japan during the PWHL's inaugural season.[3][4][5] In 24 games with Ottawa, Shiga recorded two goals.[6]
In July 2024, Shiga signed a one-year contract with Luleå HF/MSSK of the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL).[6] Early in the season, in a 13–1 blowout victory over HV71 on September 20, 2024, that The Hockey News described as a "first-class drubbing," she recorded a goal and four assists for five points.[7]
International play
editAs a junior player with the Japanese national under-18 team, she participated in the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship Top Division tournaments in 2017 and 2019, and the Division I tournaments in 2016 and 2018.
Shiga made her national senior team debut at the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship, at which she notched her first senior-level point – a goal assisted by Ayaka Toko and Hanae Kubo against Sweden in the preliminary round.[8][2] She has subsequently represented Japan at the IIHF Women's World Championship tournaments in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. She was Japan's leading scorer at the tournaments in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and was selected by the coaches as one of the top-three players for Japan by the coaches in the same years.
Shiga represented Japan in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[9]
With the Japanese national under-25 team, she won a silver medal in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, New York.[10] She was Japan's leading scorer, earning 6 points on 4 goals and 2 assists.
Personal life
editHer older sister, Aoi Shiga, is also an ice hockey player, a defenseman, with the Japanese national team.[9]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Tokachi Obihiro Ladies | WJIHL | 9 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Ottawa | PWHL | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| PWHL totals | 24 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Japan | U18 (Div I) | 
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Japan | U18 | 8th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Japan | U18 (Div IA) |
|
5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Japan | U18 | 8th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Japan | WC | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Japan | WC | 6th | 7 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Japan | OG | 6th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Japan | WC | 5th | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2023 | Japan | WC | 7th | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2024 | Japan | WC | 8th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 21 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 35 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 28 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship Div I Group A" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ a b "2019 IIHF Women's World Championship roster" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ PWHL Ottawa [@PWHL_Ottawa] (22 December 2023). "The first Japanese player in PWHL history is all ours! 🇯🇵 Join us in welcoming Akane Shiga to Ottawa for the 2023-24 season! -------- PWHL史上初の日本人選手を一年契約で獲得！🇯🇵 志賀紅音選手をオタワに迎え入れましょう！" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 February 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Houpt, Sam; Ted, Raymond (16 January 2024). "Japan's Akane Shiga finding new home on the ice with Ottawa's PWHL team". CTV News. Ottawa. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "PWHL Ottawa". ottawa.thepwhl.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Ian (10 July 2024). "Akane Shiga Signs With Lulea In Sweden". The Hockey News. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Rollins, Laura (20 September 2024). "Shiga Has Five Point Night, Goaltenders Shine in Busy Night of SDHL". The Hockey News. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "女子世界選手権 日本代表メンバー決定" (in Japanese). jihf.or.jp. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Beijing 2022 – Athletes: Akane SHIGA". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ "Ice Hockey – Women – Medallists" (PDF). Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games. 21 January 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Akane Shiga at Olympedia
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