ECHL: Norfolk Admirals Player Heads Back To Czechia

Former Norfolk Admirals defenseman Simon Kubicek will be returning to his home country of Czechia to play the 2024-25 season with the Motor Ceske Budejovice. The 22-year-old defenseman spent his first two professional seasons between the Newfoundland Growlers, Admirals, and Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Before turning pro, Kubicek played three seasons of Major Juniors in the Western Hockey League; two seasons with the Seattle Thunderbirds and one with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In 181 games played through those three seasons, Kubicek had 30 goals and 66 assists for 96 points and a plus-27 rating. In his final year in the WHL, Kubicek won the WHL championship with the Oil Kings and was named to the WHL Central Second All-Star Team.

Kubicek would sign a two-year deal with the Moose at the end of his junior career but could not find himself in the lineup much. In two seasons, Kubicek was inserted into the lineup just four times for the Moose, where he recorded one point while being a minus-five rating. While with the Growlers in his first year, Kubicek posted four goals and 10 assists for 14 points but was not known for his goal-scoring capabilities as a defenseman. Instead, he showed that he is a physical lockdown defenseman, having a plus-15 rating through 60 games and accumulating 163 penalty minutes. His second season saw him wearing the navy and gold Admirals sweater. Kubicek was in the lineup for 59 games, where he tallied four goals and 13 assists for 17 points, which were career highs.