FEATURE: Kubalik Takes NHL by Storm in Rookie Season

One year ago, Dominik Kubalik was simply hoping to make the Blackhawks roster.
"I had this conversation a couple days ago when I got back with my family," he said, reflecting on the last 12 months. "Exactly a year ago we were hoping that I was going to be in Prague."

His new team was set to open the season 40-minutes from his hometown of Plzen, Czech Republic. A Kings' seventh-round draft pick that was acquired by Chicago for a fifth-round selection, the then-24-year-old rookie was something of an unknown to most of the NHL world outside the walls of 1901 W Madison.
He had proven himself in Switzerland as the the National League's top scorer, but translating that success to the NHL was by no means a guarantee. Kubalik had to prove himself in training camp before his name ever came close to the team's overseas itinerary.
"When I found out (that I made the team), the first thing I did was write everybody back in Czech (Republic) that 'I'm coming back to Prague for the first game,'" he continued, now back in his hometown 11 months after his rookie season began. "From that moment, it made a nice story. Everything starts in Prague … It was something special and I'm really happy that with my first game I could have family there and friends. That means a lot for me and that's one game I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

That story would've been complete even if that's where it trailed off. Former Seventh-Round Pick Makes Long-Awaited NHL Debut Six Years Later in Home Country. A persevering, heartwarming and full-circle journey, perhaps one made for an E:60 mini-documentary.
But, as Kubalik said, it was only the beginning. The very next game, he scored his first goal and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Kubalik's name is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. His 30-goal debut held a double-digit lead over its next closest adversary. He was not only on the team, but grew into a role as a regular on the top line, the top power play unit and trailed only Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in team scoring for both the regular season and playoffs.
"I didn't expect this season," Kubalik said of his year. "The first goal was to make the team. That happened. The second goal was to play the first game in Prague because that was something big for me. When the year went on, you start feeling more and more comfortable and you're starting to reach your goals and you still want more and more. That's that's what I want for next year. I want to get better. I need to get better."

There's still a little bit of business to do this offseason. By virtue of his long path to the NHL, his entry-level deal was limited to one season and Kubalik is set to be a restricted free agent shorty after the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs come to an end. It seems all but certain, though, that No. 8 will be back in Chicago come training camp.
Emerging as a somewhat surprising pillar of the Blackhawks youth movement, Kubalik not only made the roster this season, in some ways he defined it. The team hopes names like Kubalik, Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist, all of whom made an NHL impact sooner than expected, can continue to blaze the trail of success ignited by the likes of Kane, Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The veterans were a key part of the rookie's success in year one that leaves many excited to see what year two can bring.
"Just to be in the locker room with guys like 'Kaner,' 'Tazer,' 'Seabs' and those guys, it's cool every day," Kubalik said. "You can learn a lot and I try to learn every day. It's great watching those guys and what they do on the ice and off the ice and to get used to the traveling and all that stuff. That's something that's going to help me next year for sure because I know how to handle it and what to do. All those little details, it might seem small, but in the overall year you look back and you're really happy that you're more experienced. You know what to do. You're not just a guy who's going to show up for the first time. That's great and I'm really happy for that."