Malcolm-Jamaal Justin Subban (/ˈsubæn/ SOO-ban; born December 21, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Subban was selected by the Boston Bruins in the first round (24th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Belleville Bulls.

Malcolm Subban
Subban with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018
Born (1993-12-21) December 21, 1993 (age 30)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Columbus Blue Jackets
Cleveland Monsters (AHL)
Boston Bruins
Vegas Golden Knights
Chicago Blackhawks
Buffalo Sabres
NHL Draft 24th overall, 2012
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2013–present

His older brother, P. K., is a now-retired Norris Trophy-winning defenceman. His younger brother, Jordan, is a former draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks.

Playing career edit

Junior edit

Subban made his Ontario Hockey League (OHL) debut with the Belleville Bulls during the 2009–10 season, appearing in a single game with the club.[1] The next season, Subban spent the entire season with the Bulls, appearing in 32 games and recording 10 wins.[1] Heading into the 2011–12 OHL season, Subban was a highly ranked prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and finished the season as the number one ranked goaltender in North America.[2] The Boston Bruins made Subban the 24th overall pick of the 2012 draft.[3] He signed a three-year contract with the club just prior to the 2012–13 NHL lock-out.[4] With the NHL shutdown, Subban returned to the Bulls for another season in the OHL, recording 29 wins in 46 games.[1]

Boston Bruins edit

Subban attended his first NHL training camp with the Boston Bruins ahead of the 2013–14 season. He was cut shortly after appearing in a preseason game where he allowed 8 goals to the Detroit Red Wings, and assigned to Boston's American Hockey League affiliate in Providence.[5] However, during the same preseason schedule, Malcolm had his first opportunity to face his defenceman brother P. K. Subban on the Habs squad on September 16, 2013, in a preseason match between the Bruins and Canadiens at Montreal's Bell Centre — Malcolm replaced Bruins rookie goaltender Chad Johnson at about 14 minutes into the game's second period, and managed to stop every shot in the 31:49 he played in-net, en route to a 6–3 defeat of the Canadiens.[6]

 
Subban was the Providence Bruins' goaltender from 2013 to 2017.

During the 2014–15 Boston Bruins season, due to Boston's backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg needing conditioning with the team's AHL affiliate, Malcolm Subban received his first NHL call-up to back up Tuukka Rask on January 30, 2015.[7]

On February 20, 2015, Subban made his NHL debut against the St. Louis Blues. He was replaced by Tuukka Rask in the second period after giving up 3 goals on 6 shots, but returned later in the game.

On February 6, 2016, he was hospitalized after taking a puck to the throat during pre-game warmups. The organization announced Subban would miss at least 8 weeks due to a fractured larynx.

After his injury healed during the 2016 off-season, Subban's play for the Providence Bruins during the 2016–17 AHL season resulted in an 11–14–1 record, with a 2.41 GAA and a .917 save percentage. By the 2017 off-season, Subban, along with fellow Providence Bruins goaltender Zane McIntyre, were each re-signed with the Boston Bruins for two years, at $650,000 per year.[8]

Vegas Golden Knights edit

On October 3, 2017, Subban was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights.[9] He won his first NHL game on October 15, 2017, against his former team, the Boston Bruins. Subban started in place of the injured Marc-André Fleury.[10]

On October 22, 2017, Subban was placed on injured reserve with a lower body injury. He had been injured the previous day in a game against the St. Louis Blues.[11] On November 17, 2017, Subban was lifted off injured reserve and was the backup for Maxime Lagacé in the following game against the Los Angeles Kings.[12][13] The first time Malcolm played a regular season game against his brother P. K. was on December 8, 2017, where Subban made a then career-high 41 saves to help the Knights beat the Predators 4–3.[14] In doing so, the Subban brothers became the 10th set of brothers to play against one another with one a skater and another a goaltender.[14] Subban was again placed on injured reserve, this time with an upper body injury, after being injured during practice on February 10, 2018.[15] He recorded his first NHL shutout in a 5–0 victory against the Winnipeg Jets on March 21, 2019.[16]

Chicago Blackhawks edit

On February 24, 2020, Subban (alongside Slava Demin and a 2020 second-round pick) was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Robin Lehner and Martins Dzierkals in a three-team trade also involving the Toronto Maple Leafs.[17] Subban made his first and only appearance for the Blackhawks in 2020 on March 3, where he replaced Corey Crawford for 70 seconds during a 6–2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.[18]

In the following off-season, due to salary cap considerations, Subban was not tendered a qualifying offer by Blackhawks on October 8. He returned to the Blackhawks however, signing at a lower cap hit on a two-year, $1.7 million contract on October 10.[19] He made his first start for the Blackhawks during the team's opening game of the 2020–21 season. He allowed five goals on 33 shots against the Tampa Bay Lightning en route to a 5–1 loss.[20] On February 25, 2021, he recorded his first shutout as a member of the Blackhawks in a 2–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.[21]

Entering his third season with the Blackhawks in 2021–22 and with the acquisition of starting goaltender Marc-André Fleury, Subban was placed on waivers and reassigned by Chicago to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. With three goaltenders on the roster competing for ice time with the IceHogs, Subban featured in only 5 games, collecting 2 wins, through the opening two months of the season.

Buffalo Sabres edit

On December 2, 2021, Subban was traded by the Blackhawks to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for future considerations.[22] He made his debut with the Sabres, allowing six goals on 25 shots before he was pulled in the third period of a 6–2 defeat by the Carolina Hurricanes on December 4.[23] On January 12, 2022, Subban made a relief appearance against the Tampa Bay Lightning in place of the injured Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Subban collided with Lightning forward Patrick Maroon late in the second period. He played out the remainder of the contest despite the collision. It was later revealed Subban suffered an upper-body injury. He underwent surgery, and Sabres' head coach Don Granato speculated Subban would miss the remainder of the season.[24][25] On April 29, 2022, during a Sabres home game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Subban sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the game.

St. Louis Blues edit

On July 1, 2023, Subban as a free agent signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues.[26]

Columbus Blue Jackets edit

On March 8, 2024, the Blues traded Subban to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for future considerations.[27] Subban was then assigned to Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.[28]

International play edit

 
Subban competed with the Canadian national junior team in the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

He was goaltender for Team Canada in the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia.[29] He appeared in six games, with four wins. Canada finished in fourth place at the tournament.[30]

Personal life edit

Subban's older brother P. K. won the Norris Trophy in 2013 and played for the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, & New Jersey Devils. His younger brother, Jordan, was selected in the fourth round by the Vancouver Canucks during the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and currently plays for the Dornbirn Bulldogs of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL).[31] His father, Karl, is the fifth leading scorer in Lakehead University basketball history. An older sister, Nastassia, played basketball at York University, ending her university career as the all-time leading scorer in Ontario University Athletics.[2]

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2009–10 Toronto Jr. Canadiens OJHL 2 0 1 0 71 4 0 3.39 .882
2009–10 Belleville Bulls OHL 1 0 0 0 13 0 0 0.00 1.000
2010–11 Belleville Bulls OHL 32 10 17 2 1785 94 0 3.16 .900 3 0 3 178 6 0 2.02 .933
2011–12 Belleville Bulls OHL 39 25 14 0 2258 94 3 2.50 .923 6 2 4 369 18 0 2.93 .917
2012–13 Belleville Bulls OHL 46 29 11 4 2695 96 5 2.14 .934 17 11 6 1021 34 3 2.00 .933
2013–14 Providence Bruins AHL 33 15 10 5 1920 74 1 2.31 .920 6 2 2 244 12 0 2.96 .888
2014–15 Providence Bruins AHL 35 16 13 4 2017 82 3 2.44 .921 2 1 1 160 3 0 1.12 .953
2014–15 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 1 0 31 3 0 5.81 .500
2015–16 Providence Bruins AHL 27 14 8 5 1635 67 1 2.46 .911
2016–17 Providence Bruins AHL 32 11 14 5 1789 72 1 2.41 .917 3 0 2 113 4 0 2.12 .937
2016–17 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 1 0 31 3 0 5.81 .813
2017–18 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 22 13 4 2 1230 55 0 2.68 .910
2018–19 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 21 8 10 2 1227 60 1 2.93 .902
2019–20 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 20 9 7 3 1134 60 0 3.18 .890
2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 0
2020–21 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 16 6 8 1 882 47 2 3.20 .900
2021–22 Rockford IceHogs AHL 5 2 2 1 302 17 0 3.38 .893
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 4 0 2 1 211 17 0 4.85 .871
2022–23 Rochester Americans AHL 39 20 14 5 2347 115 2 2.94 .903 14 8 6 843 36 1 2.56 .916
2023–24 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 31 11 14 4 1755 86 0 2.94 .907
NHL totals 86 36 33 9 4,745 245 3 3.10 .898

International edit

Year Team Event Result GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013 Canada WJC 4th 6 4 2 0 326 15 0 2.76 .901
Junior totals 6 4 2 0 326 15 0 2.76 .901

Awards and honours edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Malcolm Subban". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Subban, Malcolm". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  3. ^ Traikos, Michael (June 23, 2012). "NHL draft 2012: Malcolm Subban ready for brotherly rivalry". The National Post. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  4. ^ John Bishop (September 6, 2012). "Subban Inks Entry-Level Deal". BostonBruins.com. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  5. ^ Haggerty, Joe. "Bruins release Subban, three others from camp". Comcast Sports Net North East. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  6. ^ Basu, Arpon (September 17, 2013). "Malcolm Subban wins first battle against brother P.K." NHL.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  7. ^ "Svedberg to join Providence on conditioning loan; Subban recalled from Providence". BostonBruins.com. Boston Bruins. January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  8. ^ "Bruins Sign McIntyre and Subban to Two-Year, Two-Way Contracts". nhl.com/bruins. Boston Bruins. July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, July 14, that the team has signed goaltenders Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban each to a two-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level...Subban, 23, appeared in 32 games for the Providence Bruins during the 2016-17 season, posting an 11-14-1 record with a 2.41 goals against average and a 0.917 save percentage. The Toronto, Ontario native also appeared in one game for Boston during the 2016-17 season. Over his four-year AHL career, Subban has manned the pipes for 127 games, posting a record of 56-45-15.
  9. ^ "Golden Knights Announce Several Roster Transactions". NHL.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  10. ^ Dillman, Lisa (October 16, 2017). "Subban gets first NHL win with Golden Knights". NHL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "Malcolm Subban Placed On Injured Reserve List". NHL.com. October 22, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  12. ^ "Golden Knights activate Malcom Subban from IR, send Dylan Ferguson to WHL". Sportsnet. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  13. ^ Dan Marrazza (November 19, 2017). "Golden Knights 4, Kings 2: 3 Takeaways". NHL.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Malcolm Subban victorious in sibling rivalry vs. Predators". sportsnet.ca. Nashville. December 8, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  15. ^ "Malcolm Subban placed on injured reserve by Golden Knights". NHL.com. February 10, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "NHL roundup: Malcolm Subban records 1st NHL shutout, Golden Knights beat Jets 5-0". Spokesman.com. March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  17. ^ "Blackhawks acquire Subban, Demin and second round pick". Chicago Blackhawks. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "Chicago scores on 3 consecutive shots, beats Ducks 6-2". ESPN. Associated Press. March 3, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  19. ^ "Blackhawks agree to terms with Malcolm Subban". Chicago Blackhawks. October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  20. ^ Long, Corey (January 13, 2021). "Stamkos propels Lightning past Blackhawks in opener". NHL. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  21. ^ Pope, Ben (February 25, 2021). "Blackhawks, Malcolm Subban shut out Blue Jackets as Hawks' goaltending remains excellent". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Ryndak, Chris (December 2, 2021). "Sabres acquire goaltender Malcolm Subban from Chicago". NHL.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Sabres lose 6-2 in Subban debut". wgrz.com. December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  24. ^ Hamilton, Paul (January 12, 2022). "Sabres lose Luukkonen, Subban to injury". WGR. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  25. ^ Hoppe, Bill (January 20, 2022). "Sabres' Casey Mittelstadt nears return; Kyle Okposo sidelined week to week". Buffalo Hockey Beat. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  26. ^ "Blues sign MacEachern, three others". St. Louis Blues. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  27. ^ "Blue Jackets acquire goaltender Malcolm Subban from St. Louis". NHL.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  28. ^ "Blue Jackets Acquire Goaltender Malcolm Subban From Blues For Future Considerations, Assign Him To AHL". 1st Ohio Battery. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "Player Profile: Malcolm Subban". Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  30. ^ "Malcolm Subban". National Hockey League. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  31. ^ Dave Feschuk (December 24, 2007). "P.K. Subban's NHL dream". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  32. ^ "OHL All-Rookie Teams for 2010–11", Ontario Hockey League, Accessed 2014-01-07
  33. ^ "OHL Announces 2012–13 All-Star Teams", Ontario Hockey League, Accessed 2014-01-07

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Boston Bruins first round draft pick
2012
Succeeded by