By The TimesLedger
How do you describe Christ the King junior defenseman Jakub Kubrak? Is he a tough, stay-at-home, hard-hitting defenseman? Or is he an offensive defenseman, leading the rush up ice, contributing to the Royals offense?
Yes.
Kubrak, the TimesLedger CHSHL Player of the Year, is a little bit of everything and did a whole lot of everything right for Christ the King this year. He punished any opposing forward who dare stand anywhere near the Christ the King net, winning many battles along the corner boards.
He also helped lead an explosive Christ the King team offensively, with six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 10 games.
“He has size, talent and good skills,” said Christ the King coach Pat Boller. “He’s a smart player. There are things he needs to improve, but for a defenseman in this league, he has all the tools to be one of the top defensemen.”
But what National Hockey League player does the 6-foot, 195-pound Kubrak remind Boller of?
“Vladimir Malakhov,” Boller said of the hard-nosed versatile New York Rangers defenseman.
And Boller should know, as the Rangers coaching staff assistant, he works with Malakhov on a daily basis.
“I’ve seen him at a higher level, like at the Empire State Games where the competition is much stiffer and he’s not going to go end-to-end like Brian Leetch,” Boller said of Kubrak. “But when he gets offensive chances, he’s going to take them.”
Boller saw a dramatic improvement in Kubrak’s play this year because he joined the Junior ‘B’ hockey with the New York Bobcats, in addition to playing with Christ the King.
“He wasn’t one of the top defenseman on the Bobcats, but is getting valuable time and experience,” Boller said. “He has grown more this year than in three years.”
Kubrak wants to play college hockey and he is making a big step towards that goal by transferring out of Christ the King and enrolling in the prestigious National Skating Academy in Lake Placid, N.Y.
“He’ll be on the ice for six days a week and we can’t offer that here,” Boller said. “In the higher level, he will also get tons of exposure.”
