Big and athletic at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds with strong puck-handling skills, Gibson employs a butterfly style that maximizes the impact of his enormous frame.
Although Gibson was the top-ranked North American goalie heading into the 2011 NHL Draft, Anaheim selected him with its second-round pick (No. 39). It did not take long for Gibson to begin making his mark in the NHL.
Big and athletic at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds with strong puck-handling skills, Gibson employs a butterfly style that maximizes the impact of his enormous frame.
Although Gibson was the top-ranked North American goalie heading into the 2011 NHL Draft, Anaheim selected him with its second-round pick (No. 39). It did not take long for Gibson to begin making his mark in the NHL.
At 20 years and 297 days old, Gibson became the youngest goalie to record a shutout in his NHL debut since Daren Puppa of the Buffalo Sabres (20 years, 223 days) in 1985 when he made 18 saves in a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on April 7, 2014. After winning three straight games to start his NHL career, Gibson became the second NHL goalie to post shutouts in both his regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff debuts. He made 28 saves in Anaheim's 2-0 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Los Angeles Kings on May 10, 2014.
That win at 20 years and 300 days old also made Gibson the youngest goalie to record a shutout in his first playoff game. Gibson would start each of Anaheim's final three games of that series and he finished the 2014 postseason with a .919 save percentage in four appearances.
Strangely, Gibson had two rookie seasons in the NHL. Anaheim's starting goalie in the 2014-15 season-opener in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Gibson set a Ducks rookie record with a 38-save shutout over the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 28, 2014. For the season, he finished fourth among NHL rookie goalies with 13 wins, but a groin strain that sidelined him for six weeks before a long American Hockey League stint with Norfolk meant Gibson was still a rookie for the 2015-16 season.
Among first-year goalies who appeared in at least 10 games that season, Gibson led with four shutouts and was tied for first with 21 wins to go with a .920 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average. Gibson and Frederik Andersen won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in 2015-16. Gibson also finished seventh in voting for both the Calder and Vezina trophies.
Gibson signed an eight-year contract extension with the Ducks on Aug. 4, 2018 after setting NHL career highs in games played (60), wins (31) and save percentage (.926). From the All-Star break through the end of the regular season, Gibson went 14-4-2. He also had a 1.95 GAA and .937 save percentage in that span, each the best among NHL goalies with at least 20 starts.
Gibson played for the United States at the 2012 and 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. His .955 save percentage at the 2013 tournament earned Gibson MVP honors as well as recognition as that year's top goalie as the United States finished first. He also helped the United States finish third at the 2013 World Championship when he became the second-youngest goalie behind Russia legend Vladislav Tretiak to win a playoff game in the tournament.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- OHL Second All-Star Team (2013)
- NHL All-Rookie Team (2016)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2016, 2019)