Max Birbraer
{{Short description|Kazakhstani-born Israeli ice hockey player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Max Birbraer
מקס בירבראייר
| image = MaxBirbraerJersey.jpg
| image_size = 225px
| caption = Birbraer wore #21 with the Israeli National Team
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|12|15}}
| birth_place = Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakh SSR, USSR
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 195
| position = Right Wing
| shoots = Left
| league = EIHL
| team = Fife Flyers (President & General Manager)
| played_for = Albany River Rats
San Antonio Rampage
Cardiff Devils
Heilbronner Falken
Telford Tigers
Swindon Wildcats
Bristol Pitbulls
Cardiff Canucks
| ntl_team = ISR
| draft = 67th overall
| draft_year = 2000
| draft_team = New Jersey Devils
| career_start = 1999
| career_end = 2025
}}
Maxim Birbraer ({{langx|he|מקס בירבראייר}}; born December 15, 1980) is a Kazakhstan-born Israeli former professional ice hockey forward. Birbraer is Jewish and has played for the Israel national ice hockey team. Since June 2025, Birbraer has been the President and General Manager of Elite Ice Hockey League side Fife Flyers.
Playing career
Birbraer was born in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, where he lived until the age of 14, and is Jewish.{{cite journal|title=Professional Hockey Review: 2010–11; European Hockey League|journal=Jewish Sports Review|date=September–October 2011|volume=8|issue=87|pages=8–9}}{{cite news|last1=Kalchman|first1=Lois|title=Max Birbraer's strange journey; Overlooked player now seen as top prospect for NHL|publisher=Toronto Star|date=5 May 2000|id={{ProQuest|438138965}}}}{{cite news|last1=Fishler|first1=Stan|title=Max Birbraer: Rising Hockey Star, Aspiring Bar Mitzvah Boy|publisher=The Forward|date=2 April 2002|id={{ProQuest|367760578}}}} His family lived under a non-Jewish sounding surname in those years due to severe local anti-Semitism, and he was not told that he was Jewish until his parents decided to move to Israel.{{cite news|last1=Maloney|first1=Tom|title=An unlikely rise to attention for Israeli talent: Max Birbraer's road to an NHL draft: bizarre, made-for-TV story|publisher=National Post (Canada)|date=21 June 2000|id={{ProQuest|329757130}}}}{{cite news|last1=Shoalts|first1=David|title=Player refuses to yield to obstacles|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/player-refuses-to-yield-to-obstacles/article1341463/|accessdate=25 May 2017|work=The Globe and Mail|date=13 December 2003}}{{cite news|title=My incredible Journey: Cardiff Devils rising star Max Birbraer served time in jail and the Israeli Army before he was 20, but ice hockey got him through it all|publisher=South Wales Echo|date=13 October 2010|id={{ProQuest|757683768}}}} Although he had played schoolboy hockey in Russia, he assumed that he would have to give up the ice when he was 14 and his family immigrated to Israel, until he discovered an indoor rink in Tel Aviv where he played in a junior league. He had lived in Israel for only 8 months when his coach, Paul Rosen, persuaded him to try out for a Canadian league with the result that he spent 2 years playing Tier 2 hockey in Ontario, where Rosen was his legal guardian. He then joined the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League.
He was the only Israeli national ever to be drafted by an NHL team when he was drafted 67th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. Despite this, he never played in the NHL, instead spending three seasons with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Albany River Rats. In 2006, Birbraer signed with the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League, and played with the team for 7 years.{{cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Terry|title=Imports set to provide Devils with a boost|publisher=South Wales Echo|date=25 August 2007|id={{ProQuest|342227002}}}}{{cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Terry|title=Birbraer's double as Devils take a thriller|publisher=South Wales Echo|date=3 December 2009|id={{ProQuest|342347356}}}} Birbraer signed with the Telford Tigers in 2014.{{cite news|last1=Oakes|first1=Michael|title=Max Birbraer eyes a Grand Slam with Telford|publisher=Daily Star (London)|date=12 August 2014|id={{ProQuest|1552738794}}}}
Birbraer continued playing for the Swindon Wildcats until 2020, before taking two years out. He returned to play semi-professionally for the Bristol Pitbulls and his final season as a player was in 2024–25 with another of the Cardiff Devils' affiliates - the Cardiff Canucks in the NIHL2.
== Management career ==
In June 2025, EIHL side Fife Flyers announced new ownership led by a North American group, with Birbraer confirmed as the Flyers' new President and General Manager.{{Cite web | url = https://fifeflyers.co.uk/2025/06/05/a-new-era-begins-for-the-fife-flyers/ | title = A new era begins for the Fife Flyers - June 2025}}
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |
| 1997–98
| MetJHL | 12 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1998–99 | Shelburne Wolves | OPJHL | 35 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–2000
| OPJHL | 47 | 50 | 32 | 82 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2000–01 | AHL | 50 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001–02
| Albany River Rats | AHL | 40 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2002–03 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 57 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2003–04
| AHL | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2003–04 | CHL | 44 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 37 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 33 |
| 2004–05
| ECHL | 69 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2005–06 | ECHL | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2006–07
| EIHL | 52 | 29 | 33 | 62 | 105 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2007–08 | Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 54 | 20 | 37 | 57 | 75 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2008–09
| RUS.2 | 34 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2008–09 | DEU.2 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 2009–10
| Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 54 | 22 | 36 | 58 | 58 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2010–11 | Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 54 | 26 | 42 | 68 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2011–12
| Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 24 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2012–13 | Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 31 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 |
| 2013–14
| Cardiff Devils | EIHL | 52 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014–15 | GBR.2 | 48 | 21 | 33 | 54 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015–16
| Telford Tigers | GBR.2 | 51 | 26 | 34 | 60 | 123 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2016–17 | GBR.2 | 50 | 16 | 31 | 47 | 126 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| 2017–18
| Swindon Wildcats | GBR.2 | 31 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 44 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | Swindon Wildcats | GBR.2 | 41 | 12 | 55 | 67 | 67 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019–20
| Swindon Wildcats | GBR.2 | 22 | 12 | 41 | 53 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"| AHL totals ! 164 ! 19 ! 21 ! 40 ! 94 ! — ! — ! — ! — ! — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"| EIHL totals ! 321 ! 140 ! 205 ! 345 ! 378 ! 19 ! 12 ! 10 ! 22 ! 14 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:40em" |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |
| 1997
| Israel | EJC D | 5 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1997 | Israel | WC D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998
| Israel | EJC D | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1998 | Israel | WC D | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 27 |
| 1999
| Israel | WC D | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2000 | Israel | WC D | 4 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| 2008
| Israel | WC Div.2 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2013 | Israel | WC Div.2B | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 6 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"| Junior totals ! 10 ! 15 ! 6 ! 21 ! 14 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"| Senior totals ! 28 ! 20 ! 28 ! 48 ! 45 |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
- [http://maximbirbraer.blogspot.com Max Birbraer's blog]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birbraer, Max}}
Category:Albany River Rats players
Category:Bristol Pitbulls players
Category:Cardiff Devils players
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Wales
Category:Heilbronner Falken players
Category:Israeli expatriate ice hockey people
Category:Israeli ice hockey right wingers
Category:Israeli people of Kazakhstani-Jewish descent
Category:Jewish Israeli sportspeople
Category:Kazakhstani emigrants to Israel
Category:Kazzinc-Torpedo players
Category:Long Beach Ice Dogs (ECHL) players
Category:New Jersey Devils draft picks
Category:San Antonio Rampage players
Category:San Diego Gulls (ECHL) players
Category:Swindon Wildcats players
Category:Ice hockey people from Oskemen
Category:Telford Tigers players
Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in England
Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in Wales
Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in Germany
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in England
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Germany
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Category:Israeli expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Category:Expatriate ice hockey players in Russia