NHL Draft: Whitehall Native John Gibson Selected by Anaheim Ducks in Second Round

The Anaheim Ducks selected native and former  freshman goalkeeper John Gibson in the second round of the NHL's annual draft at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

Gibson, who grew up on Spring Valley Drive, graduated from in Whitehall before attending Baldwin High through 10th grade. He played on Baldwin's freshman ice hockey team as an eighth-grader and ninth-grader but eventually moved to Ann Arbor, MI, to play for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program.

Gibson is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound goalkeeper who recently helped Team USA to win a gold medal at the world under-18 championships.

The Ducks made Gibson the 39th player taken overall in this year's draft.

“I'm excited, and I'm taking it all in,” Gibson said by phone from Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota, where he was joined by his parents and grandparents.

When asked if being drafted changes his plans to enroll at the University of Michigan on a full athletics scholarship this coming fall, Gibson said, “probably not.”

He said that, no matter his college decision, he could attend the Ducks' training camp before the start of the 2011-12 NHL season anyway. Playing college hockey will not negate his being drafted by the Ducks.

“John has a big upside, big potential,” Gibson's USA Hockey coach Ron Rolston told the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch in January. “He’s big, athletic. He’s got a lot of pro potential because of his size and his competitive nature.”

“Obviously, it would be awesome to get drafted,” Gibson said in January. “If you’re in the NHL, you can’t ask for anything better.”

Read Gibson's NHL Draft preview .