Color of Hockey: Itagaki coming off strong freshman season at Army

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Army forward Max Itagaki who was named the Atlantic Hockey Association's Rookie of the Year for 2022-23.

Max Itagaki said he sometimes thought about his great grandfather while playing his freshman season for the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Frank Takao Okada served in World War II in the Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was composed mostly of "Nisei," second-generation Japanese Americans.

He belonged to one of the most decorated units of the war while his family was at the Minidoka War Relocation Center, in Jerome County, Idaho, where more than 13,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during the war.

"I never had the chance to meet my great grandfather, however my father has told me many stories about him," Itagaki said. "The biggest thing that always stood out for me was how even though he was sent off to fight while his family was interred at Minidoka, he was very proud of his service and proud to be an American…I'm sure he would be proud and support my decision to attend West Point."

There's lots to be proud of. Itagaki was the Atlantic Hockey Association's rookie of the year last season.

The 21-year-old forward from Glenview, Illinois, was second in the conference in points with 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) in 37 games, led the conference in assists, and set an Atlantic Hockey record for most assists by a freshman in a single season.

"Max is not the biggest player, but sometimes you have players that are big and play small and you have smaller players that play big," Army coach Brian Riley said of his 5-foot-7, 155-pound forward. "He's one of those players that plays big. Just a phenomenal playmaker, has great hands and has great vision. For us to get a player of his ability, we're lucky to have him, and we're excited about what the future holds for him."

Itagaki committed to West Point after he was the second-leading scorer on Nanaimo of the British Columbia Hockey League with 61 points (27 goals, 34 assists) in 54 games in 2021-22.

"I honestly didn't know too much about West Point before (Army associate coach Zach) McKelvie reached out to me and they wanted me to come visit," Itagaki said. "I went out there and kind of just fell in love with it.

"The real reason I chose West Point was because of the people that work there. I've never met so many good people in one place, so I wanted to be surrounded by those type of people and learn from them."

Itagaki quickly learned that playing for Army or the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is different than playing for any other NCAA Division I hockey program.

It's a military lifestyle that includes morning formation, inspections, and cadet field training in the offseason.

"At the military academies, you have duties, you've got to wear uniforms to classes," Itagaki said. "It was a pretty big culture shock for me, going from living on Vancouver Island to going to cadet basic training on the first day in June. Everything really changed, but I just kind of leaned on my teammates to help me out and show me the way."

There were adjustments on the ice, too, he said.

"I found it really hard to get around the net and in the middle of the ice," he said. "My game, when I'm scoring goals, I'm getting to those areas. That was the biggest difference from the BCHL to college hockey for me, was that they protect the middle of the ice a lot more."

Riley said he expects Itagaki to score more goals in 2023-24.

"I always say when you come into an academy, the first year is about kind of getting your feet underneath you and then after that you come back your second year, I think you're much more relaxed," Riley said. "You know what to expect and, as a result, I think you see your game elevated. That's what we think will happen with Max when he comes back this year."

Itagaki said he's looking forward to going from a freshman Plebe to a sophomore Yearling or "Yuk" on the West Point campus this fall.

He's a systems and decisions sciences major who would like to follow in the successful footsteps of Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley and Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola, who are both West Point graduates.

"It's pretty cool when you look at guys like Mr. Foley and Mr. Viola," he said. "It kind of inspires you and keeps you optimistic about the future. It would be pretty cool to get out into the business world after I serve my time in the Army."

Photos: West Point Athletics