BISMARCK, N.D. – Jack Kubitz hasn’t been in Mason City for very long – his season at Orono High School in Minnesota ended on the last night of February, and he made his Bulls debut last Saturday against the Peoria Mustangs.
Kubitz came in at just the right time for the Bulls, with Todd Sanden’s team looking to shore up its blue line and build up some momentum heading to the Fraser Cup playoffs. The Long Lake, Minnesota native made his presence known quickly, scoring a power play goal in the third period of his first junior contest. Kubitz was the sixth North Iowa scorer, and was responsible for the seventh goal, in an 8-2 victory.
The Orono senior has been on the radar of a few junior teams lately, signing a tender this week with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League. Kubitz is the fifth player this season to sign an NAHL tender for the 2019-20 season.
The signing does not mean an automatic call-up to the NAHL. However, any NAHL appearances for the remainder of the season will come with the Bobcats, and his playing rights in the league will belong to Bismarck going into next season. He will not be eligible for the NAHL draft this spring.
Kubitz has plenty of experience in the big games, playing a key role in leading Orono to its first-ever Minnesota state championship last season. He had five points in the 2018 Class A state tournament, and picked up one of the two assists on the eventual title-winner against Alexandria Area in the finals.
In his three-year varsity career with the Spartans, Kubitz totaled 36 points over 85 games, including a career-high 19 this past year as a senior captain.
More than 30 North Iowa Bulls players have reached the NAHL since the team’s inaugural season in 2011-12. Two of those players are currently active in NCAA Division I hockey, with several others playing for professional teams. Kubitz is the fifth North Iowa player this season to sign a tender with an NAHL team.
With less than a month to go in the 2018-19 regular season, Bismarck finds itself in a race for home-ice advantage in the first round of the Central Division playoffs. The Bobcats are in fourth place in the division, but sit just four points back of defending Robertson Cup runner-up Minot with nine games remaining on the schedule.
The North Iowa Bulls congratulate Jack Kubitz on taking this important next step in his junior hockey career, and wish him the best in his future with the Bismarck Bobcats.