selected by the brahmas in the 2nd round of the 2017 nahl draft, Gibson was arguably the steal of the year. Now he's looking to become the third-ever brahma to hear his name called at the nhl draft.
"it’s so funny how this worked out, with the draft Being in Dallas. having played with the lone star brahmas this past year, I think that’s the coolest thing about this whole experience. there will be Brahmas fans there and I'll get to go back to the place where my career, in a sense, kind of took off."
LOOKING BACK
It's been a long road for Gibson and the Brahmas. Take a look at his journey over the past year and see how he ended up back in Dallas as a bona-fide NHL prospect.
Brahmas fans received their first prolonged look at Gibson during Main Camp, and then saw even more of him during the preseason. Composed in net and fundamentally sound, Gibson came as advertised. He also made quite an impression off the ice, proving himself to be a self-assured and personable young man who was happy to interact with fans and spend time with Junior Brahmas around the rink.
In his first appearance, Gibson backstopped the Brahmas to their only win of the preseason. That would be a harbinger of things to come, as the Brahmas would struggle to find a goalie to back up Gibson during the first stretch of games in the 2017-18 season.
A SPARKLING START
Gibson began the regular season in historic fashion. It was the first sign that something special was unfolding in Brahmaland, and the hockey world took notice.
Gibson's first start of the regular season was a shutout on the road against the Shreveport Mudbugs.
He then went on to post two more shutouts, in what was likely the longest shutout streak to begin a season by a NAHL goalie. Gibson didn't surrender a goal until his fourth game of the year, with the shutout streak finally ending after more than 217 minutes of play.
HOME SWEET HOME
As good as Gibson was, starting the season on the road for over a month was a challenge for the Brahmas. Finally getting to play in front of home fans and on familiar ice was a relief, and came at exactly the right time.
After beginning the season with 12 straight games on the road, the Brahmas had a stretch in which they played seven of nine weekends at the NYTEX Sports Centre before entering the winter break.
With a revamped roster, including the additions of goaltender Harrison Feeney and top-six forwards Ture Linden and Austin Bottrell to the lineup, the Brahmas rolled into their holiday break on a high note. Throughout it all, Gibson was a crucial piece to the puzzle, putting up excellent numbers and propelling the team to success amidst the significant roster turnover.
DOWN THE STRETCH
A strong start is all well and good, but the finish is just as important. In the back half of the season, Gibson continued to impress, proving that his early success was no fluke.
Gibson's stellar performance through the first half of the year landed him on NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings.
In February, Gibson headed to Michigan for the annual NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, where he represented the NAHL Selects Red, a team made up of the league's top draft-eligible players.
Gibson ended the regular season as he began it, with a shutout. It was his 11th of the year, matching a NAHL record.
The Brahmas' postseason run took them all the way to Game 5 of the South Division Final. Gibson was excellent throughout the entirety of the playoffs, posting a .950 save percentage and a 1.37 goals against average. It was a disappointing end for a Brahmas team that was pushing for a second straight title, but Gibson's year was still one for the record books.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next season, Gibson will be looking to make his mark in the USHL with the Central Illinois Flying Aces. (A fun fact for the crowd? He plans to billet with defenseman Drew Lennon's family during the 2018-19 season, and is thoroughly looking forward to it.)
He'll head to Harvard after that, where he should immediately compete for the starting job for the Crimson.
HE SAID IT: Draft Edition
Gibson has always been been a good quote, and he was more than happy to talk about what he thinks about all this Draft buzz, what he's looking forward to, his plans for the rest of the summer, and more!
What are your thoughts on the Draft happening to be in Dallas this year?
I think first and foremost, it’s so funny how this worked out. It's very cool to go back [to Texas] at the end of the hockey season and wrap up my time with the Brahmas. I’ll get to say goodbye to some special people and have one last goodbye with all of it.
Obviously, being at the Draft will not only be special for you, but for your family as well. Any thoughts on how this is feeling for them?
All the car rides we’ve been through, all the trips, all the stops around the country traveling everywhere… They’ve put in so much work on their own to help me get to this point of my life. Hopefully if I do get drafted on Saturday, this will not only be a victory for me, but also for them. It’s just a testament to all the opportunities they’ve given me and how hard they’ve worked to give me every advantage possible to set up my life. Without them I wouldn’t be there on Saturday.
And how are you feeling this week leading up to the Draft?
It’s weird, I haven’t thought too much about it. You know it’s always lingering in the back of my mind because this is something that you dream about as a five-year-old once you learn about the NHL. This is the first step to make it into the league. I feel like that hasn’t really hit me yet going into this weekend. I think that once I get there on Friday and obviously get in the suit and tie and go down to the American Airlines Center on Saturday, it will start to hit me a little bit.
Any nerves as we get closer?
For right now, I’m staying cool. Staying composed. I don’t think there is any reason to be nervous right now. Whatever happens, happens. Hopefully a team takes a chance on me, but you never know under the circumstances of all this. I’m excited though. I think there’s a cool opportunity here. Wherever the direction goes on Saturday, I think I’ll be happy with it.
What's on the docket for you this summer? Hopefully some down time after the Draft?
For now, it’s hopefully a vacation or two here to a beach in New Jersey and take some time off. To me, it feels like the season really hasn’t ended yet because I went right into the Central Illinois camp and then training for the NHL Draft as well. Hopefully there will be an NHL camp to follow. I think there still needs to be a little bit of break time to refresh myself and get it together. For now I know I’m doing a couple of goalie camps throughout the summer to stay ready, then I’ll get my mind refreshed to stay focused on next year.
Gibson, who ended the year as Central Scouting's 16th-ranked draft-eligible goaltender in North America, is projected to be drafted anywhere from the 4th round onwards. Stay tuned for updates and coverage!
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Photos Courtesy of Rebekah Bing Photography