DURACO’ S WHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
is they might be more crazy than we are.” Kubic was one of those crazy forwards … until age seven when the goaltending bug bit him.
“ My dad( Trevor Kubic) put me in there,” Ryan said.“ We had a three-on-three scrimmage and they needed a goalie. I didn’ t want to go in there at all, but they put me in there and my other buddy went in net, too. He was a forward. We were just doing these racing drills and competing and I got really competitive and goaltending kind of stuck with me.
“ There’ s nothing wrong with being on the ice the whole time, either.”
Sustaining his passion for being a goaltender is something Ryan credits to his dad, Trevor. The owner of a sheet metal and ventilation company didn’ t play goal, but Trevor Kubic,“ has been there from day one for me.”
“ He took me to the rink.
He was actually my coach when I was younger,” explains Kubic.“ He was the guy who was always there. I have a few goalie coaches that have been there, too, along the way. But, for me, my dad is the one who influenced me the most. Even though he didn’ t play goal, he watched a lot and he listened a lot to the goalie coaches. Even though I didn’ t listen to him as much as I’ d like to, he definitely told me the most.”
Inspiration for Ryan Kubic also comes from a forward, who lives nearby. The most famous contemporary hockey player from St. Andrews, Manitoba-- Darren Helm of the Detroit Red Wings.
“ I don’ t know him personally, but I’ ve met him a few times,” explained Kubic.“ He actually brought the( Stanley) Cup to St. Andrews when he won it( in 2008 when Kubic was 10 years old). I just remember a huge lineup at the St. Andrews Community
Centre, getting his picture, getting his autograph from him, getting a picture with the Cup. It was a pretty cool experience.
“ I definitely looked up to him. You don’ t see that every day, the Stanley Cup coming to a small town like that. When I was around that age, dreams were big and him coming home to St. Andrews solidified( being a professional hockey player) for me.”
Kubic’ s hockey / goaltending journey started at the St. Andrews Community Centre moved on to the Lord Selkirk youth hockey program and then, on to the Bantam AAA Winnipeg Hawks. He was a second round pick of the WHL’ s Vancouver Giants in the 2013 Bantam Draft after posting a 1.30 goals against-average in 25 games in the 2012-13 season for the Hawks. The Giants didn’ t wait long to use him in WHL play, calling him up from the Winnipeg Thrashers AAA Midget squad during the 2013-14 season. He made two appearances with the Giants as a 15-year-old.
That interest from the Giants tipped Kubic in favour of going the WHL route instead of U. S. College. With Winnipeg not having a Major Junior hockey presence since the WHL Warriors left for Moose Jaw in 1984, and Brandon being the nearest franchise, the Manitoba capital is, literally, a 50-50 choice between college and the WHL for elite hockey players.
For Kubic, the decision was pretty crystal clear.
“ I just felt ready and I thought( the WHL route) was the right move for me at the time,” Kubic said.“ When you’ re 14 years old, it’ s really tough to make a choice whether you want to go Major Junior and the CHL or( U. S.) College but, for me, I just wanted to get things going so the quickest way to the NHL for me was the WHL, so that’ s the route I chose.”
The NHL has yet to come calling for Kubic, the youngest of two children( older sister Ashley is 21 and attending university) born to Trevor and Tracy, an office manager. But, Ryan isn’ t discouraged.
“ For a goaltender, and for my situation, I feel that I’ m not going to be the guy that gets drafted at 18-- the 6-foot-3 guy who ends up playing as a 20-year-old,” he said.“ For me, it’ s going to be a little bit different. I’ ve just accepted that and it’ s going to take a little bit longer, but it’ s a matter of sticking with it.”
In other words, don’ t expect to find Ryan Kubic making a third trip around St. Andrews United Church after midnight on Halloween anytime soon. ❍
68 | GAME ON | DECEMBER 2017