Bryan Lubin is in a spot he's never been in before with Ohio. The junior has tallied 10 points and has played in all 10 of Ohio's games so far this season.
Those numbers are nothing flashy at first glance, but when compared to Lubin's statistics from his first two years at Ohio, they stick out in a big way.
The 23-year-old was a healthy scratch in 11 of the Bobcats' 37 games in the 2016-17 season and played in 22 of Ohio's 40 total games his freshman year, missing a large chunk of the latter season due to a dislocated shoulder.
In his 48 games played before this season, Lubin accumulated 22 points. He's on pace to smash that number in his third year and already surpassed his sophomore season's point total of nine just eight games into this season.
The Commerce, Michigan, native has also matched his career total with seven assists, stands at third on the team in points. He scored six goals in each of his first two years as a Bobcat and already has three goals this year.
Lubin has been able to fill a large chunk of the void created from the Bobcats' 10 senior departures last season and has fit into the plan that fourth-year coach Sean Hogan envisioned in his recruits since arriving with the Bobcats.
"You want your top-six to be older guys as much as you can and your bottom-six to be the younger guys and then they transition into those roles," Hogan said. "Lubin is a perfect example of it."
Lubin's steps toward improvement started as early as last season. While Lubin's point total wasn't substantial, it was his first injury-free season in "seven or eight years" and allowed him to focus solely on training throughout the previous offseason.
The full summer's worth of training and gym work has paid off in all facets so far this season, and the question now for Lubin is no longer whether he'll play — it's how much he'll produce in the top-six forward position he's earned.
"There were some games where I was out of the lineup and other guys were in," Lubin said. "That's part of the game. But I finally feel like, now that I've gotten a full season under my belt, that I'm doing great. I continue to try and stay strong and get to the gym ... I think that plays a big role."
While Lubin's personal production has been key toward Ohio's 7-2-1 start, he's also propelled his linemates to similar success. After finishing his freshman season with 24 points and eight goals in 30 games, forward Tyler Harkins has already registered 14 points and six goals in nine games this season.
Lubin has been Harkins' linemate in five games this season, and Lubin's added confidence in handling the puck has been a key component in their success.
"He's fast. He can see the ice. He moves the puck very well," Harkins said of Lubin. "It's just kind of the little things he does. Helping out in the corners and really battling for us. He kind of makes it easier to play the game."
With Harkins frequently positioned on his left side, Lubin, a center, has also found success with the new players who have skated on his right. Sophomore Timmy Thurnau, who transferred from Elmira College, and freshman Kyle Craddick have frequently lined up at right-wing, with at least one of the two players paired with Lubin every game so far this season.
Lubin's the type of player Craddick looks to model his game after.
"He's awesome," Craddick said of Lubin. "He's one of the first guys who started talking to me when I got here, and he really kind of sets himself out to be a leader. It's good to have a guy like that ... it gives you something to look up to and it gives you something to strive for, to play like him and be like him."
Lubin's early jump from his previous performances with Ohio, and doing so with a new line-mate, comes at no surprise to Hogan who believes that the line of Lubin, Harkins and Craddick create a formula that allows each player to maximize their talents.
"Craddick's a guy that hunts pucks and stays on pucks and wins battles," Hogan said. "Lubin gets the pucks first and then you got Harkins that can distribute it, so I think it helps that all three guys in that line compliment each other."
Hogan will likely rely more on Lubin's line in the future. With a shortened roster and the occasional injury bug, the Bobcats' forward depth is expected to be thin for the next two months.
Regardless of his team's size, Hogan can feel comfortable that Lubin has taken a step forward and has transitioned into a leadership role with the team.
"He's more confident, for sure," Hogan said. "I think that comes from preparing and he's preparing the right way. He's working hard and I think you build confidence that way. It's not given to you."
Editor's note: A statistic citing Lubin's plus/minus rating was removed because it could not be confirmed.
