Whitehall, Pa. native goaltender John Gibson took the NHL by storm last season. His pro debut was sensational and was capped off with an incredible .955 save percentage and 1.45 goals-against average in six playoff games with the Anaheim Ducks.
Jake Hildebrand is looking to be the next Western Pa. goaltender to take that step. Hildebrand, a Butler native, played for the Pittsburgh Hornets midget team and now minds the net for Michigan State.
He was the Team MVP for the Spartans in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, posting a .929 save percentage in 2013-14. He will likely return to East Lansing for his junior season this fall, but for the next week, he will be stopping pucks at the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect development camp.
Prospect development camp runs from July 15-19 at CONSOL Energy Center. It is a time for the Penguins coaches and staff to practice with and evaluate the players they have drafted but are still playing in college, junior, or the minors. Hildebrand was only invited on a try-out, but he most likely has a pro career ahead of him.
“Absolutely, 100 percent” says his goaltending instructor, Shane Clifford, when asked about his chances of a post-collegiate career. “He’s very athletic, with mobility of a 10 out of 10. He competes at a high level and wants to learn.”
Clifford was the Penguins goaltending coach in 2005-06 and now operates Shane Clifford Goalie School in Coraopolis, where Gibson also trained. He believes that Pittsburgh could become a goalie hotbed.
“There’s about 15 altogether,” Clifford said of the growing group of Pittsburgh-trained goaltenders in college, juniors and the pros.
The final scrimmage of the camp will be open to the public on Saturday, July 19 at 3:00 PM.
