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MALCOLM SUBBAN SEASON IN REVIEW

MALCOLM SUBBAN: SEASON IN REVIEW

Jun 29, 2023

It was a career year for goaltender Malcolm Subban, who entered his tenth professional season. Subban appeared in a record 39 regular season games and started all 14 games for the Rochester Americans in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

"It was awesome, just to be able to get into a rhythm and stay in the routine," he said at his end-of-season interview. "It's great to be able to improve and learn from my year, to learn about myself, having not played that much in a long time."

Previous seasons had been plagued with injury for Subban, who suited up in only nine games last year, four of which were with the Buffalo Sabres. Subban started his first game in Rochester on November 18, after missing the first 13 games due to injury.

But the adjustment to a new team was easy. "Every team is different and, as a goaltender, you adjust to the system," Subban explained. "They made it really easy for me here."

"I think the people around the organization made it really easy for us guys to come in and play, and then the room as well: the guys made it a lot easier on each other."

Subban recorded his first win of the season on November 25 and would go on to a post a career-long seven-game win streak through December and January. In that span, he recorded his first shutout of the season in Charlotte, and it seemed like Subban found his stride.

"For me, obviously, we're trying to win," he said. "I'm just trying to take it game-by-game and just play. I was fortunate to play a lot of games, and I'm just happy that I was there and played pretty well."

He set a career-high with 17 wins on March 26, which capped off a perfect three-win weekend for the Amerks amid the big playoff push. He would go on to win three more in the regular season — the final win coming in the final game of the regular season, securing the first round bye.

Subban was 20-14-4 over his final 38 starts. "Subban was outstanding," Amerks head coach Seth Appert said after the win. "And that didn't surprise me either. This group has stood for the right things all year, and I think this is indicative of that."

While Subban's performance on the ice fueled team success, he was a big contributor to the locker room culture as well. "You don't go on a deep playoff run if you're not altogether. I think that's the base of what you need, and we had it, and it shows."

"It makes a difference in the playoffs: guys want to play for each other. The resilience, and coming back in the series, stuff like that. We could've just packed it in and said no, we want to go home... But we all wanted to stay; we didn't want it to end. I think that's what pushed us so far."

Subban's performance in the playoffs was outstanding, where he posted a .916 save percentage in 14 games. His postseason performance was highlighted by a 31-save shutout in Game 4 against the Crunch, sending the series back to Syracuse for the decisive Game 5.

He was the first Amerks goaltender to record a shutout in the postseason since Ryan Miller in 2014, and he was an absolute wall in overtime of Game 5. The overtime win was the third of another seven-game win streak for the goaltender. 

Defenseman Matt Bartkowski credits the goaltender with much of the team's success in the playoffs: "I don't think we deserved to be there if it weren't for him."

"It was incredible how dialed he was, how consistent, and just how good he was for the entire playoffs. He didn't have a bad shift, let alone a bad game. I've played with him before, and I've never seen him this consistently good. I'm proud of him."

Subban echoed the sentiment: "I'm just so proud of how we battled throughout the season and the playoffs. It was fun to watch from the crease there."

And while the ultimate result wasn't what anyone wanted, it was truly a special run to witness — from the crease or from the stands. Subban also credited the fans for making Blue Cross Arena an incredible atmosphere. "It was unreal. There's nothing better," he said.

"The crowds we had in the playoffs were so amazing. The support around the city, it was unreal."

The support was certainly deserved, as the goaltender embraced the Rochester community. Subban was nominated as the American's representative for AHL Man of the Year. He participated in the Wendy's Reading Power Play program, cooked meals for families at Ronald McDonald House, made friends at UR Medicine Golisano Children's Hospital, and spoke to students at Bay Trail Middle School.

He helped launch Amerks Amber Ale with Genesee Brewery and was interviewed by the NY's 529 College Savings Program Jr. Reporter. He even taste-tested some maple syrup to help promote an upcoming Rochester Knighthawks game.

He designed a custom Bills Day mask for the Sunday specialty jersey game that was auctioned to benefit Golisano Children's Hospital (and got a shout-out from PK on ESPN). Whatever it was, Subban was always happy to lend a helping hand or an infectious grin. His positive attitude was so genuine, it was easy to see how he quickly became a fan favorite.

Subban is an unrestricted free agent this summer. All signings — in Rochester or elsewhere — can be tracked in the 2023 Player Tracker.

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