Yushiro Hirano said he has opened "just one door" in his quest to be the second Japan-born player in the NHL.
The 23-year-old forward signed on Jan. 13 with the American Hockey League's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, a farm club for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 185-cm, 100-kg Hirano spent the first half of the season in the third tier with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, scoring 10 goals with 18 assists over 35 games.