Some athletes get the opportunity to explore more than just new fields, rinks, or courts. One Upper School (US) student and member of the Boys’ Varsity Hockey (BVH) has had that chance: Daigo Hotta ’26 explored foreign cultures and new countries, not just rinks, as a member of the Japan National Under-18 (U18) Hockey Team. Daigo and his teammates played in the second- highest league, Division 1 Group A, at the International Ice Hockey Federation’s U18 tournament this past April.
At age 7, Daigo joined his town hockey team in Cambridge. The physicality of hockey attracted Daigo to the sport at a young age, he said.
“I started playing hockey when I was in first grade, when I was 7 or 8, for my town team. I’ve always loved speed and physical sports and it was a pretty new sport because I came from Australia, so I wanted to try it out and I just stuck with it.”
Since coming to the school in eighth grade, Daigo has played for BVH and said he has aspirations of winning a championship for the school, even though they haven’t had a winning season in many years.
“You know it’s a rollercoaster ride, mostly downs, not too many ups, but that’s part of the road, you know. You just got to stick with it. Hopefully, one day the program will win a championship but we just gotta get better.”
A highlight from his time with BVH was an overtime win against The Roxbury Latin School during his freshman year, he said.
“My favorite moment… this is a little selfish, but probably when I scored
the overtime goal winner on senior night against Roxbury Latin,” he said. “It was probably the first time I saw the NAC packed to watch a hockey game, so it’s a good moment.”
In 2022, Daigo was scouted by coaches for the Japan National Team, who were impressed with his skills, he said.
“I went to this shooting clinic where one of the assistant coaches for the Japan team was coaching and did pretty well, so he invited me to the under-20 camp because there was no under-18 camp at that time. They called me back for their U18 team. I’ve been there since.”
Daigo has played on Japan’s U18 Division 1A team for the past two years. He said that this year’s team had a harder time than last year’s, as some key players aged out of the category.
“Last year’s World Juniors in April was my first official tournament with Team Japan. That was in France, and I went again this year to Denmark,” he said. “Last year we got the bronze medal. And this year we struggled a bit because all our ’05 players left to play U20, so we didn’t get a single win this year, we got last place.”
Daigo said he has enjoyed representing his country. Playing on the Japanese team has helped him connect to his identity, he said.
“It’s nice to be able to represent your country; It’s different from playing for your school or your region,” he said. “It’s nice to meet Japanese kids my age and to talk to them in Japanese. I never got a chance to meet a lot of Japanese kids my age because I haven’t gone to school or lived in Japan for a long time.”
However, playing for Japan has meant that Daigo has missed multiple weeks of school for the past two years—a commitment that hasn’t made his school life easy, he said.
“It’s pretty hard because while I was in Denmark, we had two practices and sometimes a lift every day until the tournament and games start,” he said. “I don’t really have time to do my work and now that I’m back, I’m meeting with teachers and making up tests, quizzes, and papers. It’s pretty overwhelming.”
For BVH Head Coach and US Science teacher Anthony Moccia ’10, Daigo is a key factor in the team’s success.
“Daigo is a special player. He’s a high-skill defenseman who sees the ice well and was a huge part of our point production. He’s a passionate player and cares a lot about his and the team’s performance.”
Mr. Moccia also sees Daigo as the kind of player who is constantly trying to become better, he said.
“I enjoy coaching Daigo because he wants to improve every shift of every practice and game. He listens well and tries to understand each and every situation he is in.”
Mr. Moccia sees Daigo’s opportunity to play internationally as a unique honor.
“It’s an honor to play for one’s country, and very few players get a chance to do it,” he said. “To play for Japan, as they are trying to build their hockey program at the country level, is even more special, as Daigo gets to be a part of the growth of hockey in Japan and around the world. For the past two years, Daigo has competed against players from around the globe who are some of the top players to play the game of hockey.”
Jack Williams ’27, one of Daigo’s BVH teammates, described Diago as an essential player on the school’s team.
“Daigo Hotta is a great teammate because he is a cornerstone of our offense and defense,” he said. “His skills get everybody going in games and practices.”
