Former Newfoundland Growlers' defenseman Kristians Rubins became the 709th former ECHL player to reach the National Hockey League when he debuted with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday against Columbus.
Rubins is the 11th former ECHL player to make his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season. He tallied 18 points (2g-16a) in 56 regular-season games with the Growlers in 2018-19 before adding three points (1g-2a) in 17 games during the Kelly Cup Playoffs, helping Newfoundland to the 2019 Kelly Cup title. Rubins becomes the 47th player whose name is on the Kelly Cup to play in the NHL.
A native of Riga, Latvia, Rubins has totaled 24 points (4g-20a) in 100 career games with Toronto of the American Hockey League.