Philadelphia Flyers Prospect Profile: Shayne Gostisbehere
Here we are, week two of the Philadelphia Flyers prospect profile breakdown. We are going to turn our attention to Philadelphia Flyers defensive prospect, Shayne Gostisbehere. Lets take a quick look at Shayne Gostisbehere’s bio:
Name: Shayne Gostisbehere
Birth date: April 20th, 1993
Shoots: Left
Height and Weight: 5’11”, 185
Drafted: 3rd round, 78th overall
AHL affiliation: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Now we turn our attention to Shayne Gostisbehere. Shayne is part of what many individuals are calling the “Fab Five”. These five highly touted defensive prospects include: Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sam Morin, and Robert Hagg.
Shayne Gostisbehere was a third round draft pick (78th overall) for the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL draft. Gostisbehere exploded onto the scene by having one of the most dominant NCAA playoff performances witnessed in a long time. In 2014, Shayne led Union College to a decisive 7-4 victory over the University of Minnesota, which was their first ever NCAA championship in school history. Shayne was a staggering +7 with 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). It was hard not to notice him on the ice during the Frozen Four. By the time the tournament was over, Gostisbehere was awarded with the Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 Frozen Four.
That Frozen Four performance catapulted Gostisbehere into the spotlight. If Shayne had been as dynamic as he was in the Frozen Four, he could have easily gone a lot higher. The Philadelphia Flyers ended up being very lucky and although it is early, it appears that they could have found a gem in the third round.
One knock against Gostisbehere was his size. At the time Shayne Gostisbehere was drafted, he was only 5-11 and weighed in at 161 pounds. Many scouts and coaches thought that he would just get thrown around while out on the ice. Size never affected his mentality though. Shayne utilized his best attributes to avoid the big hits and goons that were out there to disrupt his type of play style. There is no denying that Shayne’s skating is his best attribute and that he has clearly utilized to the best of his ability.
Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
I once heard an individual call Shayne Gostisbehere the Flyers’ “little Ferrari”. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how well that nickname fit Gostisbehere. The kid is fast! Shayne’s best attribute is his smooth and effortless skating. Flyers captain Claude Giroux had something to say about Gostisbehere’s skating as well, “He looks like he is dancing on the ice. It’s pretty fun to watch”. Being an offensive defensemen, you would have to be able to skate your way out of certain situations or binds that you may get yourself into. Whether this is over committing, or pinching in too hard and leaving yourself vulnerable for a team with a quick and lethal transition game. To accompany Shayne’s smooth skating, he has very high hockey IQ and his stick handling is top notch.
One thing you notice right away with Shayne is how mature and professional he is. In interviews and conferences he is always very humble and laid back yet at the same time, very focused.
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Shayne’s first professional season got off to a very rough start. After playing just two games with the Philadelphia Flyers, and five with the Phantoms, Shayne suffered a torn ACL in November. This was a major bump in the road in regards to his progression. Although the injury sidelined him for the rest of the year, a silver lining had presented itself.
While rehabilitating his injury, he was able to watch the Philadelphia Flyers games from the press box with defensive coach Kjell Samuel. This helped Shayne recognize positioning and see the game from a different point of view. Not to mention, Gostisbehere has put on a good amount of weight during his rehab stint. “Ghost” as they like to call him, has now bulked up his weight to around 185 pounds.
Although an injury is not what anyone wants and is not ideal, Ghost has made the best of it and has made some serious headway in getting back onto the ice for training camp. We saw this first hand at the end of development camp, during the 3v3 scrimmages. Ghost and Travis Konecny were probably two of the most noticeable prospects on the ice. Ghost ended up tallying a goal, and an assist, to go along side his slapshot off the post.
Gostisbehere is incredibly fun to watch and I can’t wait to see what new Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol has in store for these younger guys. Dave Hakstol’s system fits perfectly into the way Ghost plays. He is a very solid offensive defensemen who loves to get in on the play and pinch along the boards. As we see the change across the NHL, it is very apparent the need to have fast, mobile, puck moving defensemen. This is exactly what Gostisbehere embodies.
Projected time of arrival on the Philadelphia Flyers blue line: 2015-2016 part time;2016-2017 full time
My projection is due to Gostisbehere’s injury, he will be sent back to the AHL for some more time under his belt. I do believe that he will have a very strong training camp in September, and once the season starts there are bound to be injuries. This is where Ghost will capitalize and get his chance to crack the Philadelphia Flyers line up. I honestly can’t wait to see this kid in a Flyers uniform. I believe that as long as he can adapt his game to the NHL, he will have a very solid NHL career.
Next: Michael Del Zotto Camp Comparables