Malcolm Subban learned the game of hockey on the outdoor rinks of Toronto, where the winter air is cold enough to keep the ice frozen and players must navigate through clouds of their own breath. The Golden Knights’ rookie goaltender has a lot of fond memories from those days, including one from when he was 9 years old, playing alongside his two brothers.
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“P.K., Jordan and I were on one team, and we were just dominating,” Malcolm says with a smile stretched across his face. He rarely shows much emotion in the locker room or on the ice, but he can’t help laughing as he reminisces. “We were making tic-tac-toe passes and scoring every time. Eventually, everyone else on the team started leaving our team, because we wouldn’t pass it to anyone but ourselves. By the end of the game, everyone was on the other team going against just us three, and we were still dominating. Then one-by-one, guys would just stop playing until there was no one left, and it was just us three at the rink by ourselves.”
Anyone who happened to be on either side that day shouldn’t be surprised that, 15 years later, all three brothers have become professional hockey players.
Malcolm’s older brother, P.K., is considered one of the best players in the NHL, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy — awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman — in 2013. The Vancouver Canucks drafted Malcolm’s younger brother, Jordan, in 2013; he’s currently on the roster for the Ontario Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Malcolm is having a breakout year in net for the Golden Knights, with a 13-3-2 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average at press time.
Not only has he established himself as “the goaltender of the future,” for Vegas, but he provides solace for Golden Knights coaches, players and fans, knowing the team has a capable backup during the playoff run. Starter Marc-André Fleury has already missed time twice this season and has a history of concussions.
With performances like his 41-save shootout win in Nashville on Dec. 8, and his 42-save overtime performance in San Jose on March 22, Subban has continued to show he’s reliable when called upon. “I’m really confident [in Subban],” says Golden Knights leading-scorer Jonathan Marchessault. “He has proven that he’s a really good goaltender. We are lucky we are on a team that has two quality goaltenders, and whoever is in net, we feel confident that we can win the game.”
Subban has been injured twice himself this season, but displayed no signs of rust when he was called into action midway through a March 20 game after Fleury left with an undisclosed injury. “As a backup, that’s your job to make sure that you’re ready at all times,” Subban says. “You want to keep getting better, especially as a young guy that hasn’t played that many games. It’s been great learning from (Fleury). I’ve learned a lot from him this year.”
But the road to this moment hasn’t been easy. The 24-year-old didn’t start playing goalie until he turned 12. Before that, he was an excellent defenseman for his age. His father, Karl, who emigrated from Jamaica to Ontario in the 1970s, coached the Subbans growing up, and initially tried to dissuade Malcolm from playing goalie — with no success.
“I wanted to make the huge saves,” Malcolm says. “My dad wasn’t too happy when I wanted to switch, but he finally let me switch, and now I’m in the NHL.”
Subban led the Ontario Hockey League in save percentage and goals-against average as a 19-year-old. NHL’s Central Scouting ranked him the top goalie in North America before the Boston Bruins drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
“Obviously, I didn’t know I if I would make it this far, but I love playing the position,” Malcolm says. “When you’re passionate about something and have the work ethic, it can take you places.”
What Malcolm lacked in experience at the position, he made up for in athleticism. But he failed to live up to the sky-high expectations in Boston. In his first NHL start, Malcolm surrendered three goals on just six shots. He was benched and didn’t see the NHL ice again for more than a year.
In his second start, he again gave up three quick goals and got pulled. The Bruins dropped him last summer, allowing the Golden Knights to claim him off waivers. Vegas goalie coach Dave Prior said he handpicked Malcolm — a move that has been highly beneficial for the Knights this season. Malcolm won seven straight games while Fleury missed time with a concussion.
“Sometimes, you just need a change,” Malcolm says. “I didn’t play as well as I wanted to in the first two games (in Boston), and it kind of stuck with me. Who knows how it would have gone, but I’m happy where I am right now.”
Malcolm credits Prior with fixing his game. “I think I’ve gotten myself under control, and I’m not sliding around and getting out of position. He’s been preaching that stuff to me, and it’s definitely helped my game a lot.”
Subban’s performance has improved drastically under Prior, winning 77.8 percent of his starts — tops in the NHL for goalies with at least 15 appearances.
For his part, P.K. has enjoyed his brother’s success from afar. “It’s fantastic,” he says. “He’s worked really hard to get there, so he’s earned it.”
The four-year age difference between P.K. and Malcolm prevented them from playing against each other much growing up; P.K. was drafted by the time Malcolm was 14. Their first time facing off in the NHL, Malcolm bested P.K.’s Nashville Predators in a 4-3 shootout win Dec. 8.
“When he switched to goaltender, you could see that he really had a passion for it,” P.K. says. “I’m not surprised (by) where he is now.”
Karl Subban attended the game and got to pose for photos with two of his sons on the ice beforehand. “It was a great moment for us, and I look forward to the moment when all three (brothers) are playing in the same game,” P.K. says.
P.K. might not be surprised by Malcolm’s newfound success, but that puts him in the minority. His brother has gone from perceived first-round bust to likely heir apparent to Fleury in a matter of months.
Looks like Malcolm made the right choice when he insisted on playing goalie.
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.