Red Wings prospect Taro Hirose isn’t really a prospect any more as the 5’10,” 161-pound center is already 26 years of age, but Hirose had a spectacular season in Grand Rapids this past season, posting 38 assists and 53 points in only 56 AHL games, so Detroit Hockey Now’s Nate Brown includes Hirose among DHN’s audit of the Wings’ prospect system:
Playing 15 games this past season in Detroit, Hirose’s hand-eye can set up a slick pass and he has been known to generate offense. In Grand Rapids, Hirose was just six points shy of being a point-per-game player.
Re-signed in May, Hirose is a depth player for the organization and has shown flashes of contributing for the Red Wings.
Hirose has been a player Red Wings fans have wanted to see more of. The problem has been that roster spots haven’t been there, and as mentioned above, those spots have been reduced even more.
Where does it leave Hirose? He’s certainly a skilled forward with his vision, but his skating at times can be a hair short of what the team needs in tighter contests, be it beating an opponent to the puck, or having that needed burst of speed to open up a scoring chance. While he’s scored goals at the AHL level, it hasn’t translated with the Red Wings.
During his 26-game chance with Detroit in the 2019-20 season, he had seven points (2-5) and there wasn’t enough of an argument to bring him back for a longer stint in the following seasons. As the roster improves, it will be tougher for Hirose to find a spot to carve out.
Continued; at this point in his career, Hirose is an AHL scorer and NHL depth forward. He could squeeze his way back into relevancy as a prospect by having a strong, point-per-game campaign early in the 2022-2023 season in Grand Rapids.
