Canadian left winger Taro Hirose, 28, has signed a one-year contract with Red Bull Munich, the DEL club announced on Friday.
“I’m really looking forward to playing for the Red Bulls in the future and living in Munich. I’ve only heard good things about the city, the people and the club,” said Hirose. “Now it’s all about getting to know the guys in the team. I’ve already had a bit of contact with Adam Brooks, he's a friend of a friend. The main goal is clear: I want to help the team win, no matter what.”
Born in Winnipeg and raised in Calgary, Hirose attended Michigan State University. In his third and final season for the Spartans, he led the entire NCAA in scoring, was a First-Team All-American and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Undrafted, he signed with the Detroit Red Wings and played 10 NHL games at the tail end of the 2018-19 season recording seven points. In the five years since, he has played 50 more games with Detroit, recording 13 more points. He has spent the majority of that time with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
This is Hirose’s first contract to play in Europe.
Christian Winkler, managing director of Red Bull Ice Hockey said, “Taro is a strong winger who has his strengths both in 5-on-5 and on special teams. At 28, he is at a very good age to start a long-term career in Europe.”
In Munich, Hirose joins former NHLers Tobias Rieder, Ben Smith and Jonathan Blum and other internationally renowned players such as Patrick Hager, Yasiin Ehliz, Maximilian Kastner and goaltender Mathias Niederberger.
A perennial powerhouse in Germany, Munich had a bit of an off-season in 2023-24, but still finished fifth and made the DEL semifinals.
The team’s DEL regular-season opener is September 20 on the road against the Iserlohn Roosters.
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