After going without a point in his brief, nine-game stint in the NHL last season, Nicolas Aube-Kubel continued to refine his game in the AHL, netting 30 points in 54 games in 2018-19 and eight in 30 contests this year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. I thought the now 23-year-old winger didn’t get a fair shot on the squad his first time around, averaging just over five minutes of Time on Ice under former Head Coach Dave Hakstol, which isn’t nearly enough time for a young player to prove his worth in any league.
Fast forward to 2019-20 and it may have taken several injuries for him to get his shot at the NHL level this season finally.