Minnesota Wild affiliate makes hockey history by naming Japanese trailblazer Yuki Miura captain

The Minnesota Wild have both AHL and ECHL franchises in Iowa, and now the Heartlanders have made history after their recent captaincy announcement.

In North America, there are many, many hockey players thriving over a number of leagues at the junior, professional and recreational levels, and there's so many great stories out there. One of those fantastic stories is Yuki Miura of Japan, who has been winning hearts for several seasons with the Minnesota Wild's ECHL franchise, the Iowa Heartlanders.

Now, he's been given a major honour, becoming the first Japanese born player to officially be named captain of an ECHL team, doing so at 28-years of age following three stellar seasons with the team.

In 184 games with the team over the past three seasons, Miura has scored a solid 33 goals and 84 points, and with his loyalty to the team and his loveable personality, he has become a fan favourite in Iowa. The Japanese international player has also thrived on the international stage, scoring 8 points in 20 games played for an ever improving team Japan, with Miura becoming a leader on that team as well.

At 28-years of age, it's unlikely that Miura could make the step up to the AHL and eventually the NHL, but given his quick style of play and infectious personality, it wouldn't be a surprise if he remained in Iowa for quite some time and continued thriving. Whether he makes the jump up a level or not, Miura has made plenty of history in Iowa, representing his home country of Japan incredibly well, but with plenty of time left in his playing career, there's no telling just how good he can end up being.

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