| Gaige Giblin | Olds Grizzlys | AJHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 164 | Palm Beach, FL | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Why NHL teams should be watching: Giblin is quick and has very good four-way agility. His skating is an asset and will only improve as he continues to gain explosiveness, strength and power. While playing 18U AAA for the Connecticut Chiefs in 2022/23 he scored 43 goals in 46 games while putting up 94 total points.
Why NHL teams will be hesitant: By NHL standards he is undersized and is he dynamic enough to be an offensive catalyst playing professional hockey? Prior to 2022/23 Giblin had never played at a point per game pace, so much so that during his 16U season he had 9 goals, 9 assists for 18 points in 41 games. As of this evaluation he 1 goal in 7 games while playing in the AJHL for the Olds Grizzlys.
AJHL Showcase: Olds Grizzlys vs Spruce grove Saints, September 29, 2023: The November 2005 Giblin is an undersized fleet footed left shot forward with a shoulder width skating base and a spring in his step. Yes he is very quick but he has a jump in his cross-over which keeps him from using his outside edge to generate even more speed while cornering in defensive situations without the puck or trying to drive wide on the opposing defender after attacking the offensive at full speed as a puck carrier. On the night he finished eighth among his team forwards with 13:45 in total ice time including third among forwards with 3:41 of power play time and fifth among forwards with 2:25 time while shorthanded. On the power play he would swing to the left corner on the breakout and was positioned along the right dot-lane once set up in zone but a series of poor neutral zone passes into his feet and poor dump-ins or puck management led to very little in zone power play offense. During a third period power play he looked to be positioned in the bumper but offensive zone time was never generated. As penalty killer his skating and quickness were assets but to be used as a consistent killer at higher levels he will need a more detailed stick and to play in straight lines. On the night he finished even with 0 points, 1 poor angle shot from below the face-off dot and outside the dot-lane, 2/8 on face-offs, 5 giveaways, 4 takeaways and on the season he is winning 47% of his puck battles. Game Grade: C+
Liberty Bell Games, July 21, 22: Giblin is an average-sized, left-shot forward that has good vision on the ice and a solid ability to make crisp, accurate passes in the offensive zone. Giblin has good straightaway speed, has slightly above average acceleration and explosiveness, and is able to create time and space for himself by changing direction laterally with relative ease. Giblin has a strong, heavy shot that exploded off his stick any time he was in the offensive zone over the weekend, and while he did tend to force shots at less opportune times, his ability to find lanes and hit the net through narrow windows provided him with several high-level scoring chances. Defensively, Giblin plays a responsible game in his own zone, staying low in the zone to take away cross-ice passes low to high but did tend to shy away from blocking shots or taking shooting lanes away effectively. Giblin’s vision makes him a good prospect to watch, and with some maturation in his game, he can be a solid middle-6 type forward at the next level.
U15: USA Hockey Nationals, May 18, 2021: Giblin is a small, speedy, agile forward who is light on his feet and can separate in open ice. The late ‘05 has great pace, he can get shots off in stride and with defenders on him and makes clever passes to the slot area on the rush. He’s a bit perimeter at this age because of his size but he’s so quick and explosive that he can walk opponents off the walls and out of the corner and create scoring chances for himself and his teammates. He wheeled around the offensive zone, he showed quick hands and puck poise and doesn’t hesitate when a passing or shooting lane opens. Our first evaluation of the Florida native and we thought he showed excellent footwork and pace and the skill to compliment it. Grade: B
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images