Max Birbraer

Maxim Birbraer (; born December 15, 1980) is a Kazakhstani-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. 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. 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. Birbraer signed with the Telford Tigers in 2014.

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.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1997–98 Shelburne Wolves MetJHL 12 7 11 18 8 — — — — — 1998–99 Shelburne Wolves OPJHL 35 20 22 42 25 — — — — — 1999–2000 Newmarket Hurricanes OPJHL 47 50 32 82 52 — — — — — 2000–01 Albany River Rats AHL 50 7 6 13 24 — — — — — 2001–02 Albany River Rats AHL 40 6 7 13 24 — — — — — 2002–03 Albany River Rats AHL 57 6 6 12 42 — — — — — 2003–04 San Antonio Rampage AHL 17 0 2 2 6 — — — — — 2003–04 Laredo Bucks CHL 44 16 14 30 37 14 3 2 5 33 2004–05 San Diego Gulls ECHL 69 19 30 49 63 — — — — — 2005–06 Long Beach Ice Dogs ECHL 13 4 3 7 10 — — — — — 2006–07 Cardiff Devils EIHL 52 29 33 62 105 4 0 2 2 0 2007–08 Cardiff Devils EIHL 54 20 37 57 75 3 3 0 3 0 2008–09 Kazzinc–Torpedo RUS.2 34 5 15 20 32 — — — — — 2008–09 Heilbronner Falken 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 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 — — — — — 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 — — — — — 2014–15 Telford Tigers 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 2016–17 Swindon Wildcats 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 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 — — — — — AHL totals 164 19 21 40 94 — — — — — EIHL totals 321 140 205 345 378 19 12 10 22 14

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1997 Israel EJC D 5 10 2 12 4 1997 Israel WC D 5 0 1 1 2 1998 Israel EJC D 5 5 4 9 10 1998 Israel WC D 5 2 2 4 27 1999 Israel WC D 4 2 5 7 0 2000 Israel WC D 4 6 6 12 6 2008 Israel WC Div.2 5 5 6 11 4 2013 Israel WC Div.2B 5 5 8 13 6 Junior totals 10 15 6 21 14 Senior totals 28 20 28 48 45