Vancouver Canucks defenceman Akito Hirose exited early in the third period of Saturday night’s preseason tilt with the Calgary Flames after taking a hit from Adam Klapka that sent him flying awkwardly into the boards at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Hirose, 25, left the game at the 2:05 mark of the third period after logging 12:51 of ice time over 19 shifts leading up to that point. Klapka was not assessed a penalty on the play, but Ryan Lomberg and Mark Friedman were both given two-minute roughing minors for their roles in a scrum that formed immediately after the hit.
Here’s a video of the play that ended Hirose’s night early, courtesy of FlamesNation contributor Robert Munnich on Twitter:
Hirose is a Calgary product who grew up playing for the highly-regarded Edge School program in the city. His older brother, Taro, is a forward for EHC München who spent parts of six seasons in the Detroit Red Wings organization before leaving for Germany this past summer.
The Canucks originally signed Hirose as an undrafted prospect out of Minnesota State University (Mankato) at the end of the 2022-23 season. The 6′, 170-pound left-handed defender appeared in his first seven NHL games with the Canucks to close out that year but skated in just 36 games in total (three with Vancouver, 33 with Abbotsford) during the entire 2023-24 regular season, missing most of the year with a lower-body injury.
Hirose is entering the back half of the two-year contract he signed with the Canucks in 2023. He’ll be eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Canucks fell to the Flames by a 4-2 final score at the Saddledome in Calgary on Saturday night. Klapka, Blake Coleman, Ryan Lomberg, and Brayden Pachal scored for the Flames, while Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aatu Räty both tallied for the Canucks in the losing effort.
It remains to be seen whether Hirose will miss any significant length of time after leaving Saturday’s game. Either way, the Canucks will return to action on Monday to take on the Edmonton Oilers for yet another preseason matchup at Rogers Place.
