Photo Source: Arizona Coyotes PR

Congratulations to Maksymilian Szuber on making his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes. His first game came in the club’s 5-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken on April 9th, 2024. Szuber is the first player born in Poland to play an NHL game since Wojtek Wolski played his last game on April 13th, 2013.

Maksymilian, one in a million.

Welcome to the National, Szuber. This rookie lap is yours! pic.twitter.com/tzuoeUAUgf

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 10, 2024

Szuber was born in Opole, Poland. His family moved to Germany when Szuber was still a baby. After settling in Düsseldorfer, Szuber took up hockey. His success in the Düsseldorfer EG youth system led him to join the Red Bull Hockey Academy for his junior career. He would debut with the German U16 national team during the 2018 season. He was one of the best defensive prospects in the country, and he would represent Germany at the U18s and U20 World Juniors as well. After spending his entire junior career with the Austrian Red Bull organization and going undrafted in his first year of eligibility he would sign in the DEL with EHC München. In his first professional season, he posted seven points (1G-6A-7PTS) in 45 games. During the 2022 NHL entry draft, the Arizona Coyotes would select Szuber 163rd overall in the sixth round. The Coyotes had drafted his EHC München teammate, Julian Lutz, earlier in the draft’s second round. The selection was so unexpected for Szuber and his family that Szuber was napping during the draft, and his dad, Slawomir Szuber, didn’t believe München’s coach when he came calling.

Szuber spent one more year in Germany playing with EHC München during the 2023 season. He also made his debut with the German national team in a non-IIHF competition. During the offseason, Szuber signed his three-year entry deal with the Arizona Coyotes. After officially being signed, he would report to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. In his first North American season, he posted 24 points (6G-18A-24PTS) in 67 games. His first AHL season continued to rise his stock to the Arizona Coyotes front office. When Travis Dermott suffered a season-ending injury late in the year, it opened the door for the Coyotes to call up Szuber. In his debut, he logged 17 minutes of ice time and earned some praise from Coyotes’ head coach, André Tourigny, “He made good decisions with the puck. He competed and had a long stick. I liked what I saw.”

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