Nicolas Aubé-Kubel
Canadian right winger and 2022 Stanley Cup champion.
Nicolas Aubé-Kubel (born May 10, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Aubé-Kubel has previously suited up for the Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Rangers, and won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
Born in Slave Lake, Alberta, Aubé-Kubel moved to Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, with his mother Annie at age two. He and his sister Alex-Anne started skating soon after; she became a competitive figure skater while he focused on hockey and speed skating. Despite being cut from both his Pee-Wee and Midget minor hockey teams, he developed a strong offensive game. In 2011, he chose to play for the Collège Antoine-Girouard Gaulois of the Quebec AAA Midget Hockey League over a local junior program, posting 24 points in the regular season and 16 more in 11 playoff games.
The Val-d'Or Foreurs selected Aubé-Kubel seventh overall in the 2012 QMJHL draft. As a 16-year-old rookie in 2012–13, he scored 27 points in 64 games. The following season, his production nearly doubled to 53 points in 65 games while he worked on his defensive play and physical strength. The Foreurs won the President's Cup and QMJHL championship that year but fell short of the Memorial Cup. After that season, the Philadelphia Flyers picked him in the second round, 48th overall, of the 2014 NHL entry draft, and he signed an entry-level contract on October 2, 2014.
Returning to the Foreurs for 2014–15, Aubé-Kubel was asked to play on the top line after the team lost several key scorers. He started strong with 14 points in 13 games before a knee injury sidelined him. Once he regained his form, he scored 28 goals and 80 points, with half his goals coming between December 6 and the end of the regular season. He helped the Foreurs reach the QMJHL semifinals, where they lost to Rimouski. In 2015–16, serving as an alternate captain, he had a 15-game point streak from November 10 to December 30 and finished with 38 goals and 84 points in 61 games, though the Foreurs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
- Born
- May 10, 1996
- Birthplace
- Slave Lake, Alberta
- Position
- Right winger
- Nhl draft
- Second round, 48th overall, 2014 NHL entry draft by Philadelphia Flyers
- Stanley cup
- 2022 with Colorado Avalanche
Lore & Background
Aubé-Kubel was born in Slave Lake, Alberta, but moved to Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, with his family at age two. He played minor ice hockey and speed skating with local teams. He was cut from both his Pee-Wee and Midget minor ice hockey teams, but developed a strong offensive repertoire. The Val-d'Or Foreurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) selected him seventh overall in their 2012 draft. After his first two seasons with the Foreurs, during which he was drafted by the Flyers, Aubé-Kubel had a break-out season in 2014–15, scoring 80 points and taking the team to the playoffs. He continued strong point production the following season, serving as alternate captain for the Foreurs.
Aubé-Kubel made his NHL debut in 2018 but was sent back down after nine games. He did not become a staple in the Flyers' lineup until December 2019. As a fourth-line winger, he had a productive 2019–20 season but fell victim to a sophomore slump in 2021, with a particularly high number of penalty minutes. The Flyers placed him on waivers early in the 2021–22 season, and the Colorado Avalanche claimed him; he won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche that year.
Reader's Guide
Nicolas Aubé-Kubel's career illustrates the path of a second-round draft pick who developed through the QMJHL and AHL before establishing himself as an NHL fourth-line winger. His early minor hockey setbacks—being cut from both Pee-Wee and Midget teams—did not prevent him from becoming a productive junior player with the Val-d'Or Foreurs, where he served as alternate captain and posted 84 points in 61 games during his final QMJHL season. His professional career included a slow start in the AHL, where he struggled offensively in his first full season but improved both scoring and physicality the following year. Aubé-Kubel's NHL tenure with the Flyers was marked by a productive 2019–20 season followed by a sophomore slump with high penalty minutes. His most notable achievement came after being claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche early in the 2021–22 season, when he won the Stanley Cup. His career also includes stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Rangers, and most recently with the Minnesota Wild organization.
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