Coralville, Iowa – Iowa Heartlanders forward Yuki Miura was named to Team Japan’s 2026 Winter Olympics Qualifying Roster Friday. Next, Miura will play for Japan at the Winter Olympics Final Qualifiers, which start Aug. 29. The winner of the four-team Final Qualifiers tournament (Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Japan) will qualify for the 2026 Winter Games.
The opportunity to help Japan qualify for the 2026 Olympics holds special significance for Miura; his father, Takayuki, was a defenseman for Team Japan at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, the last time Japan played men’s ice hockey at the Winter Olympics.
Miura, a Tokyo, Japan native, signed an ECHL contract with Iowa in June and will be back for his fourth season the Heartlanders in October. He has been an alternate captain for Iowa each of the last two seasons, has skated in 143 consecutive ECHL games and is coming off a career season with 12 goals, 20 assists and 32 points.
A 28-year-old right-handed shot, Miura skated for Lake Superior State from 2017-21 and tallied 29 points (8g) in 100 NCAA games. Prior to joining Lake State, Miura skated for the Waterloo Black Hawks (2016-17), making this Miura’s fifth year living in the Hawkeye State.
You may have heard we made some big news in our final game of the 2023-24 season – our first-ever sellout in team history! That game featured a pre-game tailgate and fireworks (literally and figuratively) inside Xtream Arena, and we are going to recreate that high-energy, 5-star fan experience at 5 specific games during the 2024-25 season. Join the fun of those 5 experiences by purchasing our new 5-Star Ticket Package.
Full-season tickets are currently on sale, and deposits can be placed for 18-game plans, group outings, birthday parties, suites and the United Iowa Financial Party Plaza. Call 319-855-1775 to discuss options, or visit this link to make your plans for the 2024-25 season!
Stay tuned to Iowa Heartlanders social media (@goheartlanders) for upcoming theme night announcements and promotional calendar updates. Sign up here to be notified by text message for team news and updates ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season.
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