Christopher Gibson (born 27 December 1992) is a Finnish professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

for the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL). Gibson was selected by the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and was founded on June 5, 1967, after Jack Kent ...

in the second round (49th overall) of the

2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...

, although he never played for them, instead signing with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

, playing in their minor league system before a trade sent Gibson to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

Early life

Gibson was born in

Karkkila Karkkila (; sv, Högfors) is a town and a municipality of Finland. Neighboring municipalities are Lohja, Loppi, Tammela and Vihti. Geography Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and it covers an ar ...

, Finland to Peter, an artist and kick boxer from

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

, and a Finnish mother, Ulla Nurse. He was raised in

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

, Finland before moving to Saskatchewan at age 15 to attend

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

Playing career

In Gibson's first year at Notre Dame College, the Notre Dame Hounds ( Midget AAA) won the

Telus Cup The Telus Cup is Canada's national under-18 ice hockey club championship. It is an annual event, held by Hockey Canada each April. From 1979 to 2003, the national championship was sponsored by Air Canada. The current champions are the Monct ...

national championship (2009). Following that year at Notre Dame, Gibson was drafted by the

Chicoutimi Saguenéens The Chicoutimi Saguenéens are a junior ice hockey team which plays in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team is based out of Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada (now a part of the city of Saguenay) and owned by the City of Saguenay. Th ...

of the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...

in the first round (16th overall) of the 2009 CHL Import Draft. Gibson was ranked as the number one goaltender from the QMJHL heading into the

. Selected at 49th overall by the Los Angeles Kings, Gibson was the first goaltender selected from the Canadian Hockey League in the 2011 draft. Unsigned by the Kings, he would re-enter the draft, but was signed by the

instead. On 17 September 2015, Gibson was traded by the Maple Leafs, along with four other prospects, to the

in exchange for

Michael Grabner Michael-René Grabner (born 5 October 1987) is an Austrian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Grabner grew up playing for the local team in Villach, EC VSV. He moved to North America at the age of 17 and j ...

. On 2 January 2016, Gibson got his first taste of NHL action coming in relief for

Thomas Greiss Thomas Greiss (born 29 January 1986) is a German professional ice hockey goaltender for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 94th overall in the third round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks, he has ...

. Gibson allowed one goal from Patric Hornqvist, but made 16 saves. On 6 April 2016, Gibson got his first NHL start and his first NHL win with the Islanders against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

. Gibson made 29 saves as the Islanders came back from a 3–1 deficit to win 4–3 in overtime. The win clinched the Islanders a spot in the 2016 playoffs. On 15 August 2016, the Islanders re-signed Gibson to a one-year, two-way contract worth $660,000. On 11 March 2018, Gibson had a 50-save game against the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

, becoming the first Islanders' rookie goaltender to do so since Billy Smith made 55 in 1972. After five seasons within the Islanders organization, Gibson left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

on 9 October 2020. In the pandemic delayed season, Gibson was initially rostered in the Lightning's taxi squad. He appeared in two games with the Lightning, recording a 1-1-0 record, a .875 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average and also played in two AHL games with the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...

, collecting 2 wins, .925 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average. On July 28, 2021, Gibson signed as a free agent to a one year, two-way contract worth $750,000 with the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

. Gibson played exclusively with the Panthers affiliate, the

Charlotte Checkers The Charlotte Checkers are a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the top minor league affi ...

in the 2021-22 season, collecting 7 wins through 14 games. As a free agent from the Panthers, Gibson went un-signed over the summer before accepting a professional tryout with the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. After attending the Coyotes training camp, Gibson was released without a contract during the pre-season on 30 September 2022. On October 14, 2022, Gibson was named to the

Coachella Valley Firebirds The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Thousand Palms, California, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the Seattle Kra ...

opening roster for their inaugural season in

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, by agreeing to join the AHL affiliate of the

on a professional tryout contract. After appearing in one game with the Firebirds, Gibson was signed to a NHL contract by the Kraken, in agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract on October 27, 2022.

International play

At age 17, Gibson represented Finland at the

2010 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships was the 12th edition of the IIHF World U18 Championship. The tournament was held in Minsk and Babruysk, Belarus, between April 13 and April 23, 2010. Tournament games were played at the Minsk Sports Palace in ...

in Belarus, winning the bronze medal. Gibson was selected to the Finnish national junior team for the 2012 World Junior Championships in Canada. Gibson turned 19 years old during the tournament.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Christopher 1992 births Living people Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL) players Coachella Valley Firebirds players Finnish ice hockey goaltenders Finnish people of Saint Lucian descent Finnish people of English descent Los Angeles Kings draft picks New York Islanders players Notre Dame Hounds players Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) players People from Karkkila Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning players Toronto Marlies players Sportspeople from Uusimaa