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