Xiver Zilla Bio

[jhatty8 671]

Xiver Zilla - Biography

 

It’s rare to see a hockey player represent the small and lesser-known island nation of Malta, but that’s just one part of the peculiar story of Xiver Zilla. His father, Xavier Zilla, who is a fairly wealthy individual due to his work as a doctor, went on vacation to a beach resort in Malta. However, that vacation ended up lasting longer than expected when he met Xiver’s mother, Alessia. She was also looking to become a doctor and was currently studying at the University of Malta’s doctoral research school. Although it’s a bit cliche, it was love at first sight. The two hit it off immediately and were nearly inseparable throughout the two weeks Xiver’s father was supposed to be there. When it was time for him to return to his home country of the USA, he didn’t want to leave without her, but she had another two years left of university. So he made the life-altering decision to stay in Malta and be with her. There’s a lot that could go wrong with this plan, but fortunately, it worked out for the better. After just under a year together, they got married, and shortly following that, Alessia became pregnant with Xiver. They decided that they would move to United States together after their child was born, which coincided with Alessia finishing her doctorate program. Everything went according to plan and they ended up back in Xavier’s hometown of Atlanta with their new baby. They picked the unusual name of Xiver because it was similar to Xavier’s name, but altered enough to be unique.

 

Growing up, the Maltese-American youngster was incredibly active and was always looking to play sports, or even just to be outside. His parents were very busy and could not spend a lot of time with him, but because of their wealth, they were able to support him financially with whatever he wanted to do. Xiver attended expensive football camps, played club soccer, traveled around his state to play basketball, you name it. He even was a natural at baseball and made it to the little league world series. He was successful in almost all of his athletic endeavors, but never truly fell in love with a sport until he tried hockey.

 

 

It is a bit atypical to see the average kid in Atlanta playing hockey. The city loves its sports, whether it’s baseball, football, or basketball, but that love seems to stop once it reaches the ice. However, Xiver was a natural. He picked up skating quickly and, soon enough, was dominating his local organization in the winters. His parents noticed how much he loved hockey and how talented he was at it, but there were minimal opportunities for him to improve outside of the winter season, so he had no other choice but to continue to play other sports during this time. This was the case for Xiver throughout his middle school years and wouldn’t change until he reached high school. That’s when he became eligible for the GSHL. The GSHL, or the Georgia Student Hockey League, opens the door for high-school aged students to participate in a competitive league and hone their skills against other talented players. The best part about this league was that it ran from September all the way through the spring, so Xiver finally got the chance to focus on his favorite sport year-round. His freshman season was a bit rough, there was a period of adjustment going against stronger competition and, as one of the youngest players, he didn’t see the ice much. On top of this, he suffered a broken wrist that ended his season before it was even halfway finished. Despite these setbacks, it was clear that the experience and extra training was valuable. Xiver was fully recovered just after the season concluded and he immediately went to work. He made incredible strides over the offseason training with his teammates and he was ready to put it all together during his sophomore season. When that time finally came, there was one word to describe his play: unfair.

 

 

Xiver Zilla was nearly unstoppable on the ice as a sophomore. His history as an athlete gave him a lot of speed and stamina on the ice and his competitive spirit made him a whirlwind of chaos. His technique was also greatly improved after a year's worth of training and it only continued to get better. He continued his impressive play into his junior and senior years and attracted the attention of college hockey scouts. Although the level of competition in Georgia is not quite as high as other areas, the talent was undeniable. After his senior season concluded, Xiver officially committed to Northeastern University, a smaller school in the Boston area that excelled at hockey. He received attention from schools with a better reputation, but he opted for Northeastern to maximize his time on the ice. After three seasons of success at Northeastern, Zilla signed with the San Diego Marlins to help with their playoff push and to prepare for the VHLM Draft. He is also the first player in VHL history to declare Malta as his official country. Hopefully, Xiver can live up to his potential and blossom into a star, but only time will tell.

Edited May 23, 2023 by jhatty8

[Steve 1,925]

Definitely one of the best bios I have read. Great job.

[Daniel Janser 2,184]

Gord Zilla would have been a great name as well...