John Gibson, the 2011 NHL Draft’s top goalie
The Canadian Hockey League has dominated the top prospects scene for as long as anyone can remember. With countless NHL stars coming out of their programs over the years, it’s no wonder the major junior circuit in Canada is considered the go-to source for talent when the NHL Entry Draft rolls around each June.
Coming in a close second has always been the NCAA, a respectable, white-collar alternative to the CHL.
Over the past decade though, the United States Hockey League has surfaced as a reliable feeder system, too; a development league gradually coming out of its shell.
For evidence, look no further than John Gibson. As the top-ranked goaltender going into the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Gibson is the latest illustration that players can come out of the US National Development Program with realistic dreams of making the world’s most elite hockey league.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins who helped focus the 17-year-old left-hand-catching netminder into an NHL hopeful that has both the skill set and mindset to intrigue scouts and general managers.
During his tenure with the “AAA” Pittsburgh Hornets – a minor hockey organization that has produced NHL-calibre talents such as R.J. Umberger and Ryan Malone – Gibson stumbled upon a stepping stone in his career.
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It was the national development program; a place where many American hockey players turn to mature their game, including grads such as Patrick Kane and Erik Johnson.
“The [program] has been great,” said Gibson. “Helping me hammer out the details; it’s a big part of the game.
With home-bred world-class talent now skating for NHL clubs, it’s no wonder the US has emerged as a huge threat on the international stage in hockey. Their gold medal victory at the U18s this year, and a gold medal win at the World Junior Hockey Championship in 2010, has cemented them as a prospect hotspot.
As a member of that US U18 team that captured gold, Gibson impressed scouts with a 2.34 GAA and .926 save percentage. He left with the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper status, an award that can be accredited to both his ability to be a very technical goaltender with size and a willingness to battle for the full duration of the game in order to preserve a win.
“I think they both go along with each other,” said Gibson. “You’ve got to have a good butterfly to make a save, but you need to react to the shot.”
His development certainly won’t halt over the summer months after the NHL Combine has passed and the draft is on the horizon.
“I can’t take this for granted. I have to keep working on it every day,” he said. “For most of the year [the draft] was on the back of my mind; with my focus on winning a gold medal,” Gibson said. “But now that the season’s over, I’m just going to have fun with it.”
Having turned down a chance to go play with a top CHL program in the Kitchener Rangers, Gibson knows which path to the NHL is fit for him. Come next September, after awaiting his NHL fate in the draft this summer, Gibson will be donning the blue and yellow as a University of Michigan Wolverine.
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Check out more of The Good Point’s 2011 NHL Entry Draft Prospects Series.
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