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] He also was the head coach of the women's ice hockey tournament Team Japan at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[2]
 at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Ladies World Championship | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Born | 30 January 1971 Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
Having coached professionally in the Asia League and at the national level, he is currently the assistant coach for the Japanese Men's National Ice Hockey Team.
Playing career
editYamanaka 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.[3] Over 11 seasons with Oji, he played in 393 games, scoring 43 times and totalling 119 points. He was also a defenceman on the Japanese Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, totalling 2 assists over 4 games. Team Japan placed 13th. After the conclusion of the 2001-2002 season, Yamanaka retired from playing professional hockey.
Coaching career
editYamanaka 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.[3] After leaving the Eagles organization at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 season, Yamanaka took up the position of coaching Smile Japan. He initially served as their assistant coach before becoming their head coach in 2016.[4] Yamanaka was the head coach of the Japanese Women's Olympic Ice Hockey Team at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where the team finished 6th.[5] 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 volunteered as the assistant coach of Kanata Blazers in the OBMHL for the 2019-2020 season.[6]
In July 2020, Yamanaka was hired by the Nepean Raiders to serve as their assistant coach for the 2020-2021 hockey season.[7]
Upon the conclusion of the season, he returned to Japan, where he served as the assistant coach on the U20 and senior squad, competing at the World Junior Championships (for U20), World Championships, Universiade, and Olympic Games Qualifiers tournaments.
Reputation
editYamanaka 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 and professionalism is believed to have led him to his coaching successes.[8]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "PyeongChang ice hockey women - Olympic Ice Hockey". International Olympic Committee. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Elite Prospects - Takeshi Yamanaka Team Staff Profile". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Japan Olympic roster". National Teams of Ice Hockey. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "PyeongChang ice hockey women - Olympic Ice Hockey". International Olympic Committee. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Ottawa B League | Pointstreak Stats". ottawab.wttstats.pointstreak.com. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Nepean Raiders Hire Takeshi Yamanaka as Assistant Coach". Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Smile Japan aims for more glory". The Japan Times Online. 17 February 2017. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 25 November 2019.