Developing a star goaltender can solidify a franchise as a Stanley Cup contender for years. The Anaheim Ducks believe Gibson is exactly that kind of player.

Big and athletic at 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds with strong puck-handling skills, the Pittsburgh native employs a butterfly style that maximizes the impact of his enormous frame.

Although he was the top-ranked North American goaltender heading into the 2011 NHL Draft, Anaheim selected him with its second-round pick (No. 39). But 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 in 1985 when he stopped 18 shots in a 3-0 win against the Vancouver Canucks on April 7, 2014. After winning three straight games to start his career, Gibson became just the second NHL goalie to post shutouts in both his regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff debuts. He stopped 28 shots in Anaheim's 2-0 win in Game 4 of its second-round series 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 the way with four shutouts and tied for first with 21 wins to go along 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 played for the United States at the 2012 and 2013 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 won the gold medal.

Gibson also helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championship when he became the second-youngest goalie - behind Russian 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)