To Houston With Love

[Kirby 27]

Well that didn’t last long, did it? He didn’t play much, did he? Correction, he didn’t play at all.

 

*News Flash*

 

Maximilian Kirbsson did not see one play on the ice for Saskatoon.

 

So therefore, is it a shock that he now has left the team and finds himself with a new home?

 

Let me ask you... what is more shocking: that Maximilian Kirbsson now has a new home after the dispersion draft... or that Maximilian Kirbsson was a first round pick (sixth overall) in the dispersal draft without even playing one series at VHLM level?

 

It’s an easy answer... and it’s the latter.

 

 

So why? WHY first round? WHY first ever pick, Houston?

 

Coach @Sonnet is a good coach, that’s why. And he knows talent when he sees it.

 

Kirbsson is a special breed. He’s cut from cloth that many other players aren’t and he has enthusiasm during practice that is simply unrivalled. I mean, his nickname is “The Sponge”... he is a quick learner!

 

He joins one heck of a draft haul. Anyone that thinks the Bulls will have a tough time have another thing coming because they have all bases covered. They have Kirbsson, Mr. Finesse... they have  Kari Jurri, a name many haven’t heard of but a name that many WILL have heard of by seasons close. They have young players throughout the side and then they also have the brute that is Victor Kozlov. An absolute menace on the ice, you better be wearing protection or else he’s going to give you a real lashing.

 

This Bulls team is coming to a sporting town, so just how can they seperate themselves from the rest?

 

One word... FLAIR.

 

Flair will set them apart and with their first pick of the dispersal draft they managed to grab a player that certainly is not lacking in that department.

 

It’s also funny because Swedish people in general are usually thought to be quite reserved characters. That’s not an unreasonable stereotype, my fiancé is Swedish and she would much rather be in our own company than with others. Maximilian however is the opposite of this stereotype. He lives for the limelight, and coming to an expansion team in a city as hungry as Houston is for success, this trait can only be a positive for him.

 

Back to the point, what really sets Kirbsson apart from the rest then? Why is he a first round pick when so many other big names were still on the board?

 

As mentioned earlier, it’s a mindset thing, and I tangiables. The sky is the limit for Kirbsson, and with his work rate, he honestly may make it to the top levels.

 

His puck handling, his passing, his skating... they are all next level. His scoring is improving too. But it’s his mind set, his “can never lose” attitude and his “learn from all mistakes” mentality. This is what sets him apart from the chasing pack.

 

Good luck taking on Kirbsson this year. This is a man on a mission, and this is a man with no fears.