Rubes, Vlad

BORN SEPTEMBER 8TH, 1970 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, he played forward in the Major Junior League and the 2nd Division, then graduated from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport. In Florida USA, he played six games for the West Palm Beach Blaze during the 1993-94 season then the Daytona Beach Sun Devils of the same league (SuHL). In the Central Hockey League he scored 44 points in 56 games with the Memphis RiverKings.

Rubes arrived in Sydney in 1996 with fellow countryman Robert Spalenka and recognized that increased ice time could enhance the level of ice hockey. He joined the Canterbury Eagles competing in the NSW Super League and dedicated considerable time to coaching and developing the skills of many players in Sydney. In the mid-90s, Rubes and Spalenka organized a training camp in the Czech Republic, perhaps a first-of-its-kind overseas development camp offered in Australia. Many young players attended, and as a result, their skill levels and speed improved dramatically. [1]

Rubes joined the Macquarie Bears in the Super League and won regular season MVP. The next year he was appointed playing coach, remaining in the role until the end of the 2012 season. He was runner-up with the Bears in the first AIHL season, then won Goodall Cups in 2002 and 2007. He was five-times alternate captain, captain once, and retired on a total of 399 points, an average of 1.67 points per game. He spent three more seasons as Head Coach of the Bears, 2013 to 2015, before his appointment to the same role at the Sydney Ice Dogs in the AIHL in 2016. He returned to the Bears in 2017 and continued to 2019, the longest-serving coach in AIHL history, well ahead of both John Botterill and Don Champagne, each of whom had given the League ten seasons before retiring.

The Prague native represented Australia eight times in Division 2 of the World Championships — 2000 and 2001, then from 2004 until 2009 inclusive. In that time, he won two bronze medals, two silver and a gold, and he was the Best Forward and Top Point Scorer in the 2004 tournament. He further represented Australia as a coach nine times, first as Assistant Coach of the National Youth Team (U18) for two years in 2001 and 2002, then Head Coach from 2003 until 2006. As Head Coach of the National Men's Team for a three-year stint (2011 to 2013), he oversaw Australia's second promotion to Division 1 in Melbourne in 2011.

In 2024, Rubes returned as Head Coach of the Sydney Bears. He lives in Sydney with his wife, Martina, and two children.