The are an Asia League Ice Hockey

Asia League Ice Hockey

Asia League Ice Hockey is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan...

 team based in Hachinohe, Aomori

Aomori, Aomori

is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

Founded in 2008, they are playing their first Asia League season in 2009.

Community Contributions

The team has a number of community programs it runs under the mantra of "Team Social Responsibility". The team engages in youth oriented activities like running skating schools, working with high-school teams, visiting schools to interact with kids, and other kinds of junior hockey workshops. The team also attends various festivals and events in the communities in which they play.

Arena

The team plays mainly out of several rinks, including Niida Indoor Rink in Hachinohe City. The rink was completed in 1984 and renovated in 2002. It features an ice surface 30m wide by 60m long and seats 1,576 people. In the 2010-2011 season, the Free Blades played games as the home team out of the Shin-Yokohama Skate Center, which is the Seibu Prince Rabbits

Seibu Prince Rabbits

The were an Asia League Ice Hockey team based in Nishitōkyō City in Tokyo, Japan that was folded in 2009. The Rabbits played at the DyDo Drinco Ice Arena from 2006-07 to 2008-09...

 old home arena. The team also played games in Morioka Ice Arena in Morioka, Iwate

Morioka, Iwate

is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km²....

, Bandai Atami Ice Arena in Kōriyama, Fukushima

Koriyama, Fukushima

is a city in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2011, the city had an estimated population of 336,328. The total area is 757 km²....

, and Higashi-Fushimi Ice Arena in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo. The team previously used Misawa Ice Arena in Misawa, Aomori

Misawa, Aomori

is a city located in eastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 42,399 and a density of 353 persons per km²...

, for some home games.

Logo

The Free Blades' logo consists of the word Free Blades written on two lines as solid blue letters with a light blue and white outline. The L is replaced with a hockey stick and a puck is featured at the end end of the word "Blades". The text is set on a pair of white wings. It is also stylized with the "B" and "S" having extended points and the "S" also featuring a sweeping bottom stroke. All letters are capitalized.

Jerseys

Both the home and away jerseys feature silver on the shoulders and arms. The home jersey features a silver and blue panel along the side of the body while the away jersey features a solid white panel. The away jersey has a silver and green ring around the bottom while the home jersey features no ring. The home jerseys feature thin silver, green and white rings around the elbows, and the away jerseys have a single thick green ring. The logo is set in the middle of the chest and the jerseys have sponsor logos on top and in front of the shoulders. Additional spondership logos appear on the lower back of the jersey. The home jersey has a solid dark blue core and the away jersey has a solid white core.

Mascot

The Free Blades mascot is a white horse with light blue hair. The horse has an aggressive look and features blue eyes as well as two upward pointed ears. The hair is light blue and stringy pointed in several directions. The mascot wears the away jersey, which features additional blue panelling under the arms, and has two white wings attached on the back. The mascot is named "Blazey"

Roster

updated 1 November 2010

Goaltenders
#	Country		|Player	Catches	Acquired	Place of Birth
27		Hiroshi Shiratori	R	2010	Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
31		Michio Hashimoto	L	2009	Aomori Aomori Aomori may refer to:* Aomori Prefecture, Japan** Aomori, Aomori, the capital of Aomori Prefecture* Aomori , a novel by Dazai Osamu* Aomori a meteorite which fell in 1984 in Tohoku, Japan... , Hachinohe

Defencemen
#	Country		|Player	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
2	Japan	Yugo Hagiwara	L	2011	Matsudo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
3		Yuuya Ariyoshi	L	2010	Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
5		Kazumoto Imajo	R	2009	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Makubetsu
37		Aaron MacKenzie Aaron MacKenzie Aaron MacKenzie is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for EHC Black Wings Linz of the Austrian Hockey League .-Playing career:...	L	2011	Terrace Bay, Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
41		Paul Albers Paul Albers Paul Albers is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman last playing with the Krefeld Pinguine of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga .-Playing career:...	L	2011	Melville Melville -In Australia:*Melville, Western Australia - the suburb*City of Melville, Western Australia - the local government authority*Melville Island, Northern Territory in Australia-In Canada:*Melville, Saskatchewan*Melville, Ontario*Melville Peninsula, Nunavut... , Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
84		Kyouhei Kikuchi – A	R	2010	Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
91		Sho Sekiya	L	2011	Tochigi Tochigi Tochigi can refer to:* Tochigi Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture* Tochigi, Tochigi, a city in Tochigi prefecture, Japan* Tochigi Station, a railroad station in Tochigi city, Japan.* Tochigi S.C., a Japanese soccer club... , Nikko

Forwards
#	Country		|Player	Position	Shoots	Acquired	Place of Birth
9		Troy Riddle	C	R	2011	Minneapolis, MN, USA
11		Masahito Suzuki	RW	R	2009	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Tomakomai
14		Go Tanaka - C Captain (ice hockey) In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...	C	L	2010	Sapporo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
18		Kōta Tanaka	C	L	2009	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
20		Yoshiyuki Hatano	LW/RW	L	2011	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Tomakomai
21		Kazuki Yamamoto	RW	L	2009	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
22		Shō Tanaka	RW	R	2009	Sapporo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
23		Yoshikazu Kashino	LW/RW	R	2009	Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... , Tomakomai
25		Kawamoto Akihito	LW	R	2011	Nagoya, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
30		Bin Ishioka	LW	R	2009	Kushiro, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
36		Ryo Tanaka	C	R	2010	Sapporo, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
40		Takuma Kawai – A	LW	L	2009	Eniwa Eniwa may refer to:* Eniwa, Hokkaidō, a city in Japan.* Mount Eniwa, a volcano in Ishikari, Hokkaidō, Japan.... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
58		Takuro Yamashita	LW	R	2011	Kushiro, Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

Year-by-year record

complete records for previous seasons

Season	GP	W	W(OT)	W(GWS)	L(GWS)	L(OT)	L	GF	GA	PTS	Finish	Playoffs
2009–10	36	13	0	4	1	0	18	132	142	48	5th/7	N/A
2010–11	36	18	1	3	2	4	8	160	112	68	3rd/7	Won Co-Championship

Past import players

Jon Smyth 2009–10, FW Steve Munn 2009–10, D Scott Champagne　2010-11, FW Bruce Mulherin

Bruce Mulherin

Bruce Mulherin is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently playing for Tohoku Free Blades after being released by the Manchester Phoenix due to financial problems. Mulherin began his senior level career icing at NCAA level for the University of Alabama in Huntsville...

 2009-11, FW Cole Jarrett

Cole Jarrett

Cole Jarrett is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, who currently plays for the Graz 99ers.-Playing career:Jarrett played one NHL game with the New York Islanders during the 2005–06 season. After a year with the Eisbären Berlin in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga Jarrett signed with HPK in the...

 2010-11, D Brad Farynuk

Brad Farynuk

Brad Farynuk is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing with AS Renon in the Serie A...

2009-11, D