Detroit added a history-maker on Monday, signing forward Akane Shiga to a two-year Standard Player Agreement and giving the expansion club 16 players on its roster for the 2026-27 season.
Shiga, 25, became the first Japanese player in PWHL history in 2024, and Detroit is now bringing her back to the league after her stint with Ottawa in 2023-24. She played 24 games for the Charge before heading to Sweden’s SDHL and joining Lulea HF.
Her season in Sweden was a productive one. In 36 games with Lulea, Shiga finished with 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points.
She also represented Japan at the 2026 Games in Milan, where she tied for the team lead with three points in four games. Shiga has appeared in six World Championships as well.
With this move, Detroit reunites her with two familiar faces. Shiann Darkangelo and Daryl Watts, both of whom played with Shiga in Ottawa, are also on the roster.
The signing adds another notable chapter to Japanese hockey’s place in North American pro leagues. Goalie Yutaka Fukufuji was the first Japanese-born and trained player to appear in an NHL game, doing so in 2006-07 and playing four games for the Los Angeles Kings.
Fourteen years later, defenseman Hiroyuki Miura became the first Japanese national selected in the NHL Entry draft when Montreal took him in the 11th round, though he never played for the Canadiens.
Jordan Spence is now officially the first Japanese citizen to play regularly in the NHL. Born to a Japanese mother and Canadian father, he began his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings in 2021-22 and played 73 games for the Ottawa Senators last season.
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Her path also gives Detroit a little more familiarity in the room, since she has played alongside Shiann Darkangelo and Daryl Watts before. Shigas recent work overseas and her role for Japan at the 2026 Winter Olympics suggest a player who can slot into different settings quickly, which is exactly the kind of versatility a young franchise is trying to collect. With her signing, Detroit now sits at 16 players, and the next question is how all these pieces will fit once camp gets going. [Read more 🡒]
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