Former Red Wings Prospect Plays Impressively at Predators Camp

Prospect defenseman Andrew Gibson, traded by the Detroit Red Wings to Nashville last week, made the most of his second chance to make a first impression with a team he hopes will give him an NHL shot.

He was at Detroit’s development camp last summer and the Red Wings were equally impressed.

Russell Vannozzi of Nashville Hockey Now wrote Gibson showed convincingly in Nashville’s Future Stars game why the Predators coveted him.

“The 2023 second-round pick helped Team Gold knot the score at four on a slapshot from the point with six minutes remaining.” Vannozzi wrote. “He also used his 6-foot-3, 196-pound frame to his advantage, keeping pucks in the zone with his long reach and preventing opposing forwards from having easy looks on goal. Most of his work early in the game came alongside defensive prospect Tanner Molendyk, who impressed in his own right and scored on a penalty shot.”

Trading Gibson wasn’t Detroit’s Plan A. It happened because the Red Wings were looking to unload defenseman Jake Walman’s contract. To accomplish that, Yzerman needed to give the San Jose Sharks a second-round pick. Not wanting to give up his own second round pick, he traded Gibson to Nashvillle on June 25 for the Predators’ second round pick and prospect two-way forward Jesse Kiiskinen. Detroit then shipped The Predators pick to San Jose.

Gibson Was Stunned

Andrew Gibson on how surreal it was this week to develop with the #Preds pic.twitter.com/5QR7790iJI

— Nick Kieser🏒 (@KieserNick) July 6, 2024

“I like to play physical, but I can also play with the puck,” Gibson said. “I can play on both sides. Love killing penalties and blocking shots. That’s a weird thing about me. I genuinely like blocking shots and hearing the crowd get going, getting the guys going and making the most out of it.”

He showed in the Future Stars Game he can block shots and deny scoring chances with relentless defensive play.

Gibson is coming off a strong season for the Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds. He put up 12 goals and 44 points. He was also plus-36. The Red Wings signed him, thinking he was going to be part of their future. They saw him as a big, strong player who had an opportunity to develop into a top four defenseman. But they needed the cap space to be able to re-sign Patrick Kane and sign Vladimir Tarasenko.