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The Kyrou brothers have come a long way since playing mini stick hockey in their Toronto basement as young children. That was underlined this summer as they both experienced career milestones.

On July 8, younger brother Christian – a defenseman – was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the NHL drawing, number 50 overall. Older brother Jordan was there in Montreal to enjoy the moment with the whole family.

“The whole experience was pretty cool,” Jordan said. “I’ve been through that, so for my brother it was a little easier for him that I was there. I tried to calm him down a bit. He obviously had some jitters and you’re nervous. All those emotions go through your head.”

Two months later, Jordan had a different set of emotions—no less joyous—when he signed an eight-year $65 million contract extension with the Blues. As soon as he got on the phone with his agent and team manager Doug Armstrong and told him the deal was done, he immediately called Christian.

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Christian and Jordan come across as low-key individuals. If you closed your eyes and heard Christian speak, you would think it was Jordan – very similar voice and speech patterns. But that September 13 phone call quickly escalated far beyond calm.

“That was probably one of our most exciting conversations we’ve ever had together. So it was pretty special,” Christian, who spoke to the Post-Dispatch at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City earlier this month, said Mich.

When Jordan announced the news of the contract, Christian said, “I don’t remember word for word, but somewhere along the way he was pretty excited. I also yelled into the phone.”

“I think he was more excited than I was,” Jordan said.

Speaking of yelling, all sorts of things must have happened during those mini-stick games in the basement. At 24 years old, Jordan is five years older than Christian. And he’s a big model brother in many ways.

But back in the day, every big brother had to hit on little brother a little bit, right? That’s how it was during those mini-stick games.

(For the uninitiated, ministick is played with small sticks and small nets. And, of course, a small puck. The players are usually on their knees or in a squatting position. Some claim it’s the second most popular sport in Canada.)

“I would rock him a little when he was a little kid,” Jordan said with a laugh. “I’d have him put on gear and I’d like to run him over.”

But as they grew up and Jordan progressed in his hockey career—through juniors, the NHL draft, into the minor leagues, and into All-Star status in the NHL—he’s done nothing but help and work with his brother.

“He’s helped me my entire career,” Christian said. “Obviously he’s older than me, so he knows a lot more. I’ve learned so much from him over the years.”

In the off-season, Christian trains with Jordan on and off the ice.

“It’s training at a high level,” said Christian.

And it has worked for Jordan.

“Obviously he’s a pretty big star in the NHL, so I’m just grateful to him for that,” Christian said. “I’ll just follow in his footsteps because he knows what he’s doing.”

The Blues will play their second game of the preseason, Monday at 7 p.m. against the Stars in Dallas. But Jordan isn’t in the Blues’ game group, so there’s no chance of a brother-to-brother matchup.

However, there is still a chance in exhibition games, as the teams meet again on October 1 in Kansas City, if Christian remains on the roster of the Stars by then.

“Hopefully he’s still there,” Jordan said.

After playing with the Erie Otters for the past two seasons, 19-year-old Christian still qualifies for junior hockey. So he will probably be sent back to the Ontario Hockey League this preseason. But sooner or later, the brothers would meet regularly on the NHL ice. After all, the Stars are rivals to the Blues in the Central Division.

“It’s a big jump from OHL to NHL, so I just want to develop now,” said Christian.

After playing just 21 games and not scoring a single point – goal or assist – as a 16-year-old, Christian was one of many OHL players left with no place to play when the league was shut down completely for the 2020 season. -21 due to Covid.

But Christian made the most of it, and then some, during that ‘non-season’.

“The COVID year has helped me develop beyond the ice,” said Christian. “I had a nice setup in the basement. A shooting range and weights and things like that. So I feel like my body, I was kind of a later bloomer. I had a pretty good schedule with my trainer.”

The work paid off last season when he had 18 goals and 42 assists in 68 appearances for the Otters – an excellent production for a defender. That put him on the radar as an NHL prospect. Jordan was called up 35th in 2016, so Christian was eventually taken just 15 places later.

Christian isn’t as fast as Jordan, but he’s a pretty good skater.

“He’s getting fast, but I think for him his strengths are his skill and his hockey IQ,” Jordan said. “I think he’s smarter than I was then.”

Christian scored for the Dallas prospects against the Blues in Traverse City. Jordan watched the match live stream. He couldn’t be more proud of his little brother, and the feeling is mutual. But none are prouder than their father, Aki, who was a Junior B player at the time and has worked with his sons from day one.

Or as Christian put it: “He developed an attacker, now he is trying to develop a defender.”