Cup-Winning Forward Signs In KHL After 8 NHL Seasons
Aube-Kubel has agreed to terms on a contract with KHL club Dinamo Minsk for the 2026-27 season, with both sides reportedly having settled the full details of the deal.
Market Never Materialized
The writing had been on the wall for a few weeks. Aube-Kubel drew interest from KHL club Barys Astana earlier this month, and rather than land an NHL deal, that overseas interest has now turned into an actual contract with a different club.
Aube-Kubel split last season between the Minnesota Wild and AHL affiliate Iowa, managing just two assists in six NHL appearances while posting 37 points in 62 AHL games.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel drops the gloves with Vincent Trocheck, and Bills lineman Dion Dawkins is LOVING it 😂🥊 pic.twitter.com/T8uFfhuCOh
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) December 12, 2024
He was recalled four separate times but never stuck for good, a pattern that made his path back to an NHL roster increasingly difficult as free agency dragged on.
He'd signed with Winners Hockey Agency this summer, a firm known for representing players heading toward Europe, a move that in hindsight looks like an early indication of where this was headed.
The Career
Aube-Kubel, 30, was a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers back in 2014, but his best NHL moment came with a different franchise.
The Colorado Avalanche claimed him off waivers in December 2021, and he became part of their 2022 Stanley Cup championship run, posting 11 goals and 22 points over the stretch run and appearing in 14 playoff games. He's also remembered for accidentally denting the Cup itself during the team's celebration that summer.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel certainly made his MARK on this Stanley Cup celebration... too funny!#GoAvsGo | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/qH0B3Eaf4P
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 27, 2022
Dinamo Minsk gives him some familiar company. Sam Anas, who won the KHL scoring title last season with 89 points, and Alex Limoges were both in the Washington Capitals organization at the same time as Aube-Kubel, and the team finished second in the KHL's Western Conference a year ago before being swept by eventual conference finalist Ak Bars Kazan.
Over his eight-year career, the 30-year-old has recorded 32 goals and 82 total points across 310 games played.
