Icebucks prepare for 2013-2014 Season

06 Sep 2013 | Matthew Cross

Changes on the bench and big changes up front

The Icebucks have seen a few less changes than the Korean teams in this upcoming season, but still some changes none-the-less. First is a change on the bench, they bring in a new coach, Yuji Iwamoto.

Iwamoto is a veteran of the Japan League. He played from 1981 to 2001, just shortly before it folded and the Asia League was formed. He played all his seasons with the Snow Brand Sapporo playing over 600 games and notching nearly 500 points. From 2007-2010 he was the head coach of the Japan U20 team.

They've also shaken things up with their imports. While David Bonk remains on the team Bembridge have moved on. They've added Matt Waddell on defense and Daniel Cesarz joins Bonk up front.

Domestically they've lost Sumida and Katoh on defense. Upfront, larger changes are seen with Uchiyama, Yakura, Takahito Suzuki, Nakai, Ohmachi, and Setaka have all left. Suzuki and Bembridge were big point getters last year, so it will be important for them to try and replace them well. Kinugasa, team spokesman said that Suzuki's departure was the biggest blow to the team. Suzuki retired and will work as a head coach at one of the university teams.

To fill in the gaps they've added Iwamoto, Tetsuya Saito, Iimura, Gorai, and Konno all on front lines. The team has said they want to show more effort this year and always make follow-up plays, and second efforts more consistently. They also want to up their physical play.

Last season the team had a rough start with Fukufuji suffering an injury, but this year he is reported as being healthy and ready to go. The team still plans to keep three netminders on the roster though just in case. Fukufuji technically captains the tea, but he can't wear the letter during the game so Tetsuya Saito stands in for him.

When asked if they were worried about Oji having another powerful start, they said they felt they had the confidence to beat them as they showed last year later in the season.