John Gibson

John Gibson arrived in the NHL the way few goalies do — with a perfect introduction. Called up by the Anaheim Ducks late in the 2013-14 season, he went 3-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average, a .954 save percentage, and one shutout across his first three NHL appearances. That cameo set the stage for what became one of the longer tenures any goaltender would have with a single franchise in the modern era.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 14, 1993, Gibson was selected by Anaheim in the second round, ninth pick of that round, in the 2011 NHL Draft. He made the move to a full-time NHL role in 2014-15, appearing in 23 games, going 13-8 with a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage. What followed was a stretch of seasons that would cement him as the Ducks' undisputed starter for the better part of a decade.

The 2015-16 season brought Gibson's first full campaign as a clear No. 1, and he responded with a 2.07 GAA and .920 save percentage across 40 games. He pressed even further in 2016-17, posting a 2.22 GAA, .924 save percentage, and a career-high six shutouts in 52 appearances, going 25-16. The 2017-18 season produced his career-best GAA of 2.43 alongside a .926 save percentage over 60 games, with 31 wins and four shutouts — his highest win total to that point.

By 2018-19, Gibson was appearing in 58 games, going 26-22 with a 2.84 GAA and .917 save percentage and adding two shutouts. Those five seasons from 2015 through 2019 represented the core of his Anaheim run, a period during which the Ducks made the playoffs and Gibson was among the most frequently deployed goaltenders in the Western Conference.

The years that followed brought harder circumstances. Anaheim entered a prolonged rebuild, and Gibson's workloads remained heavy while team results declined sharply. In 2019-20, he went 20-26 in 51 games. The shortened 2020-21 campaign yielded a 9-19 record in 35 starts, though his .903 save percentage came with three shutouts. The 2021-22 season — 56 games, 18-26, a 3.19 GAA — was followed by 2022-23, his most taxing year, in which he went 14-31 across 53 appearances with a 3.99 GAA. The 2023-24 season brought a 13-27 record in 46 games. After 12 seasons and 563 career games with one organization, Gibson was traded out of Anaheim in the summer of 2024, moving to the Detroit Red Wings.

The adjustment to Detroit was not immediate. As Gibson told InGoal after a shutout in Vancouver on December 8, 2024, the transition took time — he had never been traded before and had spent his entire NHL career with the Ducks. According to a mid-season report from InGoal in January 2026, he had widened his stance early in Detroit but eventually returned to the narrower stance and patient approach that had defined his best seasons in Anaheim ^[1].

The results since that December reset have been notable. Through 57 games in 2025-26, Gibson sits at 29-22 with a 2.72 GAA, .901 save percentage, and four shutouts — his first multi-shutout season since 2020-21. The proprietary advanced metrics tracked by Clear Sight Analytics, as detailed in InGoal's mid-season piece, placed him third in Goals Saved Above Expected since December 1, 2025, and sixth in adjusted save percentage over that same stretch ^[1].

Across 563 NHL regular-season games, Gibson has accumulated 233 wins, 28 shutouts, a career 2.87 GAA, and a .909 save percentage. At 32, he is in his first season in Detroit, wearing number 36.

InGoal Magazine has covered John Gibson in one InGoal article.