At day two of the NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators made a trade to improve their defense by trading for defenseman Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings.
Spence was solid as a King for the past two seasons. With his game growing at 24 years old, Spence can help improve the Senators defense.
What some might not know about Spence is he was born in Australia, but was raised in Osaka, Japan. With Japanese roots, Spence is looking to become more of an inspiration for Japanese hockey players.
Spence looks to be an inspiration for hockey in Japan
This season, Spence will become the first Japanese player in Senators history. Spence spoke recently with The Japan Times in hope to inspire young Japanese hockey players.
Last month, Spence returned to Japan after moving to Canada to run a hockey camp in Tomakomai, Hokkaido. Spence would also return to Osaka where he grew up and tour the city. Part of the tour included the arena in Namba where he began his hockey career.
Dreamskate Japan was the name of the two-day camp, and it was organized by POD, a startup investment firm with an office located in Los Angeles. A participation of 200 boys and girls from elementary school age to high school age were there.
Spence may not have gone full effort at the camp, but his strong efforts influenced the kids at the camp. POD Americas President Kaz Yamanouchi gave Spence high praise for his effort at the camp with the kids who were there.
"I can't explain how exciting it was for them to see a real NHL player," Yamanouchi said about Spence. "He was full speed and power." Yamanouchi also mentioned the kids were "so excited."
Spence was asked by the kids about his career to get to the NHL. Spence mentioned how there's doubters, and negative comments or obstacles in the way. However, Spence mentioned how he was able to fight through it to get to the NHL.
Spence may be the only current Japanese player in the NHL, but he's a good one to have for Japanese players. The last Japanese player to play an NHL game, who was also the first player to play an NHL game was Yutaka Fukufuji in the 2006-07 season. Fukufuji ironically played for the Kings just like Spence.
Last season with the Kings, Spence recorded a career year. Spence's 28 points and +23 rating in 2024-25 set new career highs. Moving forward, Spence hopes he can be part of more hockey camps in Japan in the future.
"Being able to to look at their skill and see how they compete, it's an eye opening experience," Spence said. "They have skill to compete against North American players. I think at the end of the day it's all about confidence and just being yourself when you're on the ice."