Fansided

One player from each NHL team who should be on the NHL 18 cover

By David Rouben

Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) prepares to throw pucks to the crowd after the game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere (53) reacts against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Raleigh, NC, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere (53) reacts against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere

The obvious choice here would be Claude Giroux, but he already made it on the NHL 13 cover. So the next best option was the player who captured the imaginations of hockey fans everywhere last season: Shayne Gostisbehere.

He earned the nickname “Ghost Bear”, which became a handy guide to pronouncing his last name. He also got a great feature based on that nickname, and in his first season, the 5’11” defensemen proved that size isn’t everything when it comes to playing that position.

Coming into last season, when all the Calder attention was on Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Artemi Panarin, Shayne Gostisbehere snuck up on everyone and finished second in voting. And his rookie season is one that Ivan Provorov, last year’s draft pick who just broke into the Flyers this year, will hope to follow.

Last year, Gostisbehere was an advanced stats darling because of his high possession tallies. His Corsi For percentage was 50.6, the team’s save percentage when he was on the ice was 92.6, and their shooting percentage was 9.8. In addition, he had 17 goals last season, which led all rookie defensemen, with five of them being game-winners.

With 10 points in 16 games, Gostisbehere is off to another strong start. The Flyers made the playoffs in his first season, and if he can play up to his standards, there’s no reason why they can’t get back there.

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