Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere Has A Chance At The Calder Trophy
Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere Has a Chance at Capturing the Calder Trophy
Shayne Gostisbehere (aka Ghost Bear) in the city of Brotherly Love has proven himself as a rookie defensemen in the NHL. The 22-year-old from Union College is breaking records, and continues to challenge for more. The presence that Gostisbehere has on the ice and his performance this season has caught national attention and for good reason.
Gostisbehere is on a 13 game point streak, and has recorded a point or scored in every game since January 17th, 2016. Within that month he has set and extended the longest point streak ever scored by a rookie defensemen.
Only two other players have had 13 game point streaks as a rookie, Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-2014 and Paul Stastny in 1993-1994 (he set the record at 20 games).
The point streak is impressive and gives Flyers fans a glimmer of hope in a not so stellar season by the rest of their team. There is a noticeable difference when number 53 is on the ice and he has helped the Flyers in crucial moments, such as netting a few OT winning goals. The Flyers will not be hoisting any hardware at the end of this season, but Ghost on the other hand, he has a pretty good shot at being nominated for or winning the Calder Trophy.
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The Calder Memorial Trophy is awarded to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.
Shayne Gostisbehere has been outstanding in his 38 games played in the Orange and Black. He deserves to be thrown in the Calder conversation along with Detroit’s Dylan Larkin, and Chicago’s Artemi Panarin. Unlike those two guys, Gostisbehere is a defensemen which makes it harder for him to obtain as many points. Panarin leads all rookies with 54 points and 19 goals. Ghost has tallied 32 points and 11 goals. Keep in mind Panarin plays along side Patrick Kane so naturally racking up points is easy. Gostisbehere averages .84 points a game and is the third highest among rookies in the NHL. Ghost has made his presence known and has a great case for being the leagues’ best rookie.
McDavid and Eichel were supposed to be the ones to shine from this season’s rookie class and yes they have had their moments and yes they are proving to be as good as projected, but they do not have a great chance to be up for the Calder. Shayne Gostisbehere stands out among the rest and his 12 assist and four points during his 13 game point streak is a big reason why. The Ghost Bear is doing remarkable things that put him in the mix with some of the leagues best and rightfully so. Gostisbehere has such an impact on the Flyers that sometimes it’s hard to believe he is just a rookie. When he’s on the ice the Flyers improve offensively, possess the puck better, and create scoring chances better. Eichel and McDavid (although both good) do not have that same effect on their respective teams, and that reason alone is why Gostisbehere stands out among his competition.
The Ghost Bear should be one of the nominations for the Calder trophy at the end of the season. His incredible play thus far and 13 game point streak gives validity to that statement.
Next: Calder Trophy Race: Rookie Candidates
Shayne Gostisbehere deserves to be in the running for the leagues best rookie because he is doing things that are unheard of for a defensemen his age and time in the league. The impact he has on his team is felt throughout the NHL and will be felt for years to come as he is the foundation of the Flyers defense who in the coming years will only continue to improve. Not too shabby for the 78th overall pick in the 2012 draft.