Yoshinori Iimura

Yoshinori Iimura
Date of birth	4th August 1981
place of birth	Obihiro , Japan
size	172 cm
Weight	73 kg
position	center
Shot hand	Right
Career stations
2004-2006	Nikko IceBucks
2006-2013	Nippon Paper Cranes
2013-2016	Nikko IceBucks

Yoshinori Iimura ( Japanese 飯 村 善 則 , Iimura Yoshinori ; born August 4, 1981 in Obihiro , Hokkaidō ) is a former Japanese ice hockey player who won the Asia League Ice Hockey twice with the Nippon Paper Cranes .

Career

Yoshinori Iimura began his career as a hockey player with the Nikkō IceBucks , for which he played from 2004 to 2006 in the Asia League Ice Hockey . He then moved to league rivals Nippon Paper Cranes , with whom he won the Asia League in 2007 and 2009. In 2013 he returned to Nikkō and played again for the IceBucks until his retirement in 2016.

International

Iimura made his debut in the Japanese national team at the 2006 World Cup , where his team competed in Group A of Division I. He was also on the ice for his country in Division I at the 2007 , 2008 , 2009 and 2010 World Championships .

At the Winter Asian Games 2007 in Changchun , China , he was able to win the gold medal with the Japanese team with a 3-2 win against their direct rivals Kazakhstan . He also took part in the qualifying tournament for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver . At the 2007 Germany Cup he finished fifth with the Japanese selection.

Achievements and Awards

• 2007 won the Asia League Ice Hockey with the Nippon Paper Cranes
• 2007 gold medal at the 2007 Asian Winter Games in Changchun
• 2009 Winning the Asia League Ice Hockey with Nippon Paper Cranes

Asia League statistics

	Seasons	Games	Gates	Assists	Points	Penalty minutes
Regular season	12	428	107	190	297	379
Playoffs	9	58	18th	22nd	40	70

(Status: end of the 2015/16 season)

Web links

• Yoshinori Iimura at eliteprospects.com (English)