Casey Kubara doesn’t need much of an introduction in Canberra. Since joining the Brave in 2016, the veteran forward has become one of the most recognisable figures in the league: a three-time Goodall Cup champion, a 2022 MVP, and a cornerstone of the Brave’s identity for the better part of a decade. But after a year away with the Newcastle Northstars, he’s back. And if you’re wondering whether anything has changed, it hasn’t.

“It’s like I never left,” he says with a grin. “I kept in touch with most of the boys. I feel like I just slipped right back in and hit the ground running.”

Finding His Feet in Newcastle

The move to Newcastle in 2025 wasn’t something Casey had considered following a successful 2024 season with the Brave, where he walked away a Goodall Cup Champion. “I had a really good opportunity with work, so I took it. It was an not easy decision, especially after just winning the cup. But I moved up to Newcastle for work and I had to make a decision for hockey shortly after that.”

Casey went in fully committed, gave the Northstars everything he had, and produced one of the best statistical seasons of his career: 16 goals and 34 assists from 27 games. But life without the ‘B’ on his chest took some getting used to.

“The first few weeks I was just figuring it out: where I sat in the roster, in the locker room. I wasn’t as vocal, and I didn’t have a letter on my chest. It was different. But then I just found my groove and just played hockey.”

That groove looked pretty good from the outside. Playing with high-quality imports and a well-structured power play, Casey flourished. He credits his linemates and the team environment, but there’s no escaping the fact that his numbers spoke for themselves. “I was just playing with speed through the middle. It was just one of those seasons where everything was going my way.”

What did he learn about himself from the experience? Well, if you ask him, it’s to just keep going out there and doing what he’s doing. “I’ve known who I am and the type of player I am for a long time. That didn’t change. But I think it reinforced that the things I was doing were paying off.”

The Decision to Return

When the season ended and the off-season conversations began, Kubara didn’t have a dramatic moment of clarity. It was much simpler than that.

“I was fully committed to Newcastle while I was there. I wasn’t thinking about coming back. Then in the off-season, after a few conversations, I just thought Canberra was a better fit for me.”

Part of that pull was personal. Brother Bayley was here. Close friends were here. The organisation, the coaches, the staff, the management, all of it was here in Canberra.  “It’s such a good organisation from top to bottom. We’re well supported. We’re given every chance to succeed, every tool we need. It’s nice to just go out there, play hockey, and try to win.”

The Other Side of the Puck

Facing the Brave as an opponent last season gave Kubara an unusual vantage point on a team he knows better than almost anyone.

“I know the inner workings of this team. I know player habits, where guys like to go, what their tendencies are.” He smiles. “So, facing them, I was probably a little more analytical than usual. Other times I just tried not to think and go play hard. But yeah, there was definitely more thought to it, because I know this team so well.”

It’s a strange thing, using that knowledge against the place that shaped you. But he’s back on the right side of it now, and that suits him just fine.

Approaching 200

At nearly 200 AIHL games and 314 career points, Casey’s place in the history books is beyond debate. He owns the Brave’s all-time points and assists records, and has the franchise goals record in his sights.

When he started out in 2016, none of that was the plan.

“No, not at all,” he laughs. “I thought I’d be in Europe or North America, trying to play over there. This is just the way it’s worked out.” He thinks for a moment. “But I love it here. I couldn’t see myself playing anywhere else now. It’s so much fun.”

He’s also a witness to how much the competition has evolved. “The league’s gotten so much better since 2016. The locals are developing more, the imports that come out are top class. The game’s come a long way, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

As for personal milestones, the points, the games, the records, they’re not what drives him. “It’s not really a points thing for me. A successful season is holding a trophy over my head at the end of the year. That’s my success marker.”

What the Big B Means

His first taste of the AIS Arena came last year in a Northstars jersey, on the wrong end of a Brave crowd. This season, he finally got to experience it from the other side.

“It’s loud, it’s energising. When you hear the crowd roar, it gives you a little boost. When I scored here last year it was just crickets. It’s a bit better this way.”

That atmosphere, and the broader culture that the Brave have built, is a big part of why players keep coming back. Kubara has seen it from the inside and from the outside, and the view is the same either way.

“It sounds cliché, but it is like a big family. We all have one common goal. When a group of people are committed to that, it breeds success. That’s why this team has done so well since they became the Brave.”

And for any young player in the Canberra system dreaming of pulling on that jersey one day?

“It’s an honour to wear that big B on your chest. Just play hard and have fun. It is the best place in the league to play, and when we play right, we win championships.”

Ten seasons in, Casey Kubara is still playing right. And he’s home.