When Phil Housley went to Lake Placid, N.Y., in the summer of 2013 to evaluate players for the U.S. team he would be coaching in the World Junior Championships, he had some idea of their position strengths.
He had heard some about then 19-year-old goalie John Gibson, and immediately saw the maturity that Gibson displayed.
"I knew we were going to be strong at the goalie position, but I didn't know it was that strong," said Housley, an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators. "He was very much in control. He had great technique. Nothing seems to faze him, whether good or bad.