����������ϼ�

Stanley Hubbard knows the photos are somewhere. At some point, he’ll have to go back and look. Some of the details — at least, a few of the less important ones — are a little fuzzy.

Perhaps he was 2 years old. It may have been either his dad or grandfather guiding him around.

No matter. The core parts remain plenty clear. Being outside, bundled up against the Minnesota winter, stick in hand, ready for his first skate; a family tradition.

“The whole outdoor hockey thing,” Hubbard, an alternate captain for the New Mexico Ice Wolves of the North American Hockey League, said with a grin Saturday. “I couldn’t really skate when I was that young, so I would kind of get pushed along.”

Saint Mary’s Point is a town of fewer than 400 people, less than 30 minutes east of Saint Paul, along the Saint Croix River. It’s where everything started. 

The ending?

Well, the middle is still happening. It’s all part of a story that featured a relocation 18 hours south to Albuquerque when he was 4 and one that will soon include another move to outside Pittsburgh. 

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward announced his commitment to play Division I hockey next season at Robert Morris ahead of the start of the Ice Wolves’ division semifinal playoff series against the El Paso Rhinos.

“He’s put in so much work and dedication to get to where he is,” said coach and general manager Kyle McKenzie, a former minor league defenseman who won a national title with Providence College in 2015. “And it’s special, too. He’s a homegrown boy from Albuquerque. It’s huge for the city. You don’t really see that all too often, especially in this part of the country.”

McKenzie isn’t exaggerating or overstating. Hubbard’s college choice is a rare one.

According to the Ice Wolves, he is the first men’s hockey player developed entirely — youth through juniors — in New Mexico to commit to an NCAA school at any level. The franchise also said he is the first New Mexican who will compete at the DI level. 

There’s even a little bit of a family bonus. Younger brother Ryan committed to play adaptive hockey at Penn State a week earlier. There’s another brother, Connor, who is still in high school.

“I kind of just stuck with it the whole way here and a lot of kids kind of took off and went the triple-A (travel) route, and you move away for a couple years and do that,” Hubbard, 20, said. “I didn’t really see a need to do all that. Everything I needed was here and then I was lucky enough to play juniors here, too. I never had to leave.”

It’s because everything kept developing — the programs, the competition, himself.

What began with one rec team when Hubbard first started playing organized hockey has grown into 12 boys youth travel teams, six girls teams, three adult leagues and sled hockey to go along with numerous clinics and an on-site speed gym. And, of course, there’s the founding of the Ice Wolves  — the Tier II junior hockey program — and their North American 3 Hockey League affiliate. Levels Hubbard worked his way through.

Leaving didn’t make sense to Hubbard. Even through plenty of tough times.

“As a dad, I’m super proud,” said Stan Hubbard, Stanley’s father who is also the owner of the Ice Wolves and Outpost Arenas. “It’s not easy. It’s a grind. He’s spent four years in junior hockey — two years on the NA3HL development team and two on the Wolves. In the early years, there were a lot of games where he was … healthily scratched. A lot of games, he didn’t see a lot of minutes. 

“But he never stopped working and never lost his positive approach, and his love for the game. He just keeps getting better and better and better, every shift, every game. I think he’s going to have a really good college hockey career. But nothing makes you more proud as a parent than when you see your kids achieve their goals.”

And DI hockey? That’s always been one of the younger Hubbard’s ambitions.

Yet, he’s not quite ready to depart for Pennsylvania just yet. There’s still the matter of helping the Ice Wolves try to reach their second South Division final in five seasons.

That will be another tough task after Saturday’s 5-2 loss put them two games down in the best-of-5 series.

Jacob Solano scored the go-head goal for the Rhinos with 17:26 left in the third period. Ethan Woolcott added an insurance goal with a little more than 2 minutes to play and Alexander Stephen followed suit with less than 30 seconds to play.

Jake Kasay and Jeremy Sprung both netted goals in the second for New Mexico. Kasay’s score came with 59 seconds left in the period. Tommy Shore and Raphael Laviolette logged goals in the first and second periods, respectively, for El Paso.

Hubbard, who finished with 11 goals and 12 assists in 57 regular-season games, was awarded a two-minute penalty for boarding with 1:42 left in the 1st period and another one for roughing with 12 seconds to play.

Game 3 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. in El Paso. Game 4, if necessary, is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 25 in El Paso, while a Game 5 would be 5 p.m. April 26 in Albuquerque. 

The series winner will face either the Shreveport Mudbugs or Lone Star Brahmas in the divisional final.

But that’s just one part of Hubbard’s story. A short chapter in the middle. Just like the move to New Mexico. Like his commitment to Robert Morris.

Right now, he’s trying to enjoy the whole picture. 

“I think for me, it’s just enjoying the moment and enjoying the journey,” Hubbard said. “You can only play the sport you love for so long. I enjoyed playing youth hockey and I’ve been enjoying playing junior hockey, and I’m excited to take the next step to college hockey. Every part of this path has been a little different and I’m excited to experience the whole thing.”

David Glovach covers New Mexico ����������ϼ� and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X