Monday, October 26, 2009

James Hiebert a Brahma?

Rumours abound about the signing of the former Laredo Bucks player

Joy Lindsay from the Laredo Morning Times is reporting that veteran winger James Hiebert has signed with the Brahmas. Of course, this is just a rumour at this point. If it's true, we probably won't hear anything from the Brahmas until later in the week. I've been getting questions from all about including an inquiry from the local NBC affiliate in Laredo. I had to give the standard Sgt. Schultz (I know nothing, nothing).

Hiebert, 27, is entering his seventh pro season and has played with the Laredo Bucks to all or some extent during that time, winning two CHL Championships along the way.

“The signing has obviously not been made official yet, but Coach Ruskowski did say that Hiebert was released from any obligations he had to stay with the Bucks, and two people have confirmed that he will be suiting up with the Brahmas this season.”

- From the LMT Bucks Blog

The 5’, 10”, 195 pound native of Hay River, Northwest Territories, played junior hockey with the Swift Current Broncos (WHL) for four seasons (1999-2003). During his time there, he tallied 174 points (70 G, 104 A) and 502 penalty minutes in 242 games played. He also played in 29 post-season contests, adding 12 points (2 G, 10 A) to his numbers.

Hiebert went pro in 2003-04, signing with the Laredo Bucks and contributing to their first President’s Cup Championship. It was the first of four consecutive trips to the finals for Hiebert and the Bucks, who won it all again in 2005-06. That was arguably Hiebert’s best season as a pro with 75 points (23 G, 52 A) and 275 penalty minutes accrued in 59 games during the regular season. During the playoffs, he added nine points (5 G, 4 A) and 29 penalty minutes in 13 games.

Hiebert strayed to the ECHL for 55 games during the 2006-07 season, playing with the Reading Royals and the Phoenix Roadrunners. He was also called up to the AHL for six games with the Manchester Monarchs. He returned to the Bucks for the final six games of the regular season and contributed 19 points (9 G, 10 A) in 21 games during the playoff run that ended in a loss to the Colorado Eagles in the Finals.

Hiebert didn’t play during most of last season. He is the President of South Texas Solar Systems and has been devoting much of his time to growing that business. He signed with the Bucks on March 8th and played the remaining eight games of the season (2 G, 4 A) and contributed in the playoffs (1 G, 2 A).

If Hiebert is to join the Brahmas roster, we'll have to label it under "In Dan We Trust." Hiebert is definitely a talented player. Hopefully he's kept in shape during the off-season. He's been described as a "loose cannon" who sometimes takes unnecessary penalties. But he's also a tough kid, a fighter...something the team needs - a talented player who can also enforce.

Photo Credit: Laredo Bucks

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