Yutaka Fukufuji

Yutaka Fukufuji, born September 17, 1982, in Kushiro, Japan, became the first Japanese-born player to appear in an NHL game when he took the ice for the Los Angeles Kings during the 2006–07 season. The left-catching goaltender stood 6'1" and weighed 160 pounds, wearing number 33 for Los Angeles.

The Kings selected Fukufuji in the eighth round, 11th pick, of the 2004 NHL Draft. He appeared in four games during his NHL tenure, posting a record of 0 wins and 3 losses with a goals-against average of 4.37 and a save percentage of .837.

While Hiroyuki Miura had been the first Japanese player drafted into the NHL — selected by the Montreal Canadiens in 1992 — Miura never played in an NHL game, leaving Fukufuji as the first player from Japan to appear in one. Fukufuji later played for the Nikko Ice Bucks in the Asia League Ice Hockey.