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Looking to make the leap: Shayne Gostisbehere

2014 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship - East Regional

BRIDGEPORT, CT - MARCH 28: Shayne Gostisbehere #14 of the Union College Dutchmen skates up ice against the Vermont Catamounts during the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey East Regional Championship Semifinal at Webster Bank Arena on March 28, 2014 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia Flyers are always known as a team loaded with veterans, so when one of their young players pops up on the national radar it becomes a bit of a big deal. When it’s a player who plays a position the Flyers could use help with, their hopes sometimes take on a life of their own.

Such is the case for Shayne Gostisbehere -- though he’s already proven he can excel.

The 21-year-old defenseman is coming off a national championship with Union College. There, he was the best player for the Dutchmen and made Flyers faithful hope that they had their next big thing.

Last season, Gostisbehere had nine goals and 34 points in 42 games. While he didn’t win the Hobey Baker Award -- that went to Calgary Flames prospect Johnny Gaudreau -- he was a finalist, and his performance in getting Union their first ever title (he had one goal and four assists in the Frozen Four) was exceptional as he was named Frozen Four MVP.

Shortly thereafter, the Flyers signed him to his first pro deal.

The Flyers snagged Gostisbehere in the third-round in 2012, 78th overall, and he’s anxious to show he can crack the roster right away. His up-tempo play and ability to control and carry the puck through all three zones could provide the Flyers with a weapon they don’t exactly have on the roster right now.

Take a look at what the Flyers are set to start the season with on the blueline: Mark Streit, Andrew MacDonald, Braydon Coburn, Luke Schenn, Nicklas Grossmann, Michael Del Zotto, and Nick Schultz are the veterans who should figure to make the team.

Kimmo Timonen could miss a big part of the season with blood clot problems and Schenn, Grossmann, Del Zotto and Schultz don’t inspire a lot of confidence. That leaves the door open for Gostisbehere to potentially force coach Craig Berube to make some difficult decisions in training camp.

The likelihood is Gostisbehere makes a good impression in camp and spends most of the season in Lehigh Valley of the AHL. That said, anyone who saw him play college hockey last season knows what he’s capable of, and perhaps a peek early on in Philly is all he needs to show he can be a NHL player sooner than later.

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