He won a bronze medal, he's won a silver, but in S74 Alexi Piastri and the talented Japanese national team look to capture gold. Piastri made his international debut before he had even joined the SHL, a somewhat surprising addition to the main Japanese roster in S67. Piastri's junior scoring output was enough for the coaches to want him around the team, although he was used sparingly. Alexi was outspokenly upset when left off of the S69 team, he vowed to work hard and leave the coaching staff no choice but to include him on future rosters. The Australian born son of a Japanese mother, Piastri hasn't missed a tournament for Japan since.

While he's been a fixture on the team as of late, Alexi is yet to produce at the level that he feels that he is capable of. S70 saw Japan capture Bronze, Piastri averaged around 13 minutes a game, scoring 2 goals and recording 5 points during 12 games of round robin play. He added a goal in the medal rounds, but left the tournament feeling that his team would have had a better chance at gold if he was able to produce more. S71 once again saw Japan playing meaningful games, in fact they made it all the way to the gold medal game, ultimately coming up short and settling for silver medals. Piastri played just under 13 minutes a game but was able to raise his production, scoring 5 goals and recording 10 points. Alexi was silent in the medal round, recording a lone assist and once again feeling that he hadn't played to his full capability. Japan looked like they had put it all together in S72, finishing the round robin tournament with a record of 10-2. Piastri played his best tournament to date, scoring 7 goals and adding 9 assists, however he didn't find the score sheet as Japan found the net only 1 time during their loss in the opener of the medal round. This was a huge dissapointment for the team. Japan had a down tournament in general during S73, Piastri certainly included. The team failed to advance to the medal round, Piastri recorded just 3 goals and 3 assists.

The Japanese roster looks as strong as ever and S74 is a golden opportunity for the team to rebound and re-establish themselves as one of the favorites in international play. Piastri is coming off of his best SHL season, many people expect him to play a bigger role this go around for team Japan. Despite being a focal point of his teams attack in the SHL & the SMJHL before that, Alexi has never averaged more than 16 minutes per game in international play. Expect to see more ice time available for the dynamic winger this season. Piastri has always been able to produce in key roles for his teams, we'll see if S74 is his true breakout tournament in international play.

Off of the ice, SHL teams are now allowed to reach out to upcoming free agents as of noon today. It's been well known that Piastri would be heading to the open market for the first time in his career. It's becoming more likely that Alexi could be lured away from his only SHL home up to this date, the Minnesota Monarchs. A number of teams are believed to have approached Alexi, each with their own compelling arguments as to why Piastri should join them. It's believed that multiple teams received permission from the Monarchs to talk with Piastri before the standard negotiation window opened today. Some people say that a deal is already in place, however, Piastri insists that he will not be making a final decision until free agency officially opens. Piastri isn't believed to be interested in a huge contract or being the focal point of a teams offense. It looks like Alexi is looking to sign with whatever team he feels offers the best combination of individual fit within the roster / organization as a whole, along with the opportunity to win championships in the immediate future, as well as being built for sustainable success. Not too much to ask for, right???

It's believed that among Alexi's suitors are some of the leagues top teams, perhaps hoping that Piastri could be the final piece to put their roster over the top. There's even a crazy rumor that Alexi could be considering giving up hockey all together to pursue surfing around the world and potential hand model opportunities in the southeast Pacific. Piastri's representatives have neither confirmed nor denied any reports other than saying that Piastri's decision should be announced shortly after free agency begins, which could be leading to some of the more outlandish stories.



** Edited 01/18. Please include with x2 Media **