Shayne Gostisbehere has been surprising people since the day he was called up to the National Hockey League, but on draft day, he was the surprised one.
Gostisbehere was drafted in the third round, 78th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers which was actually much higher than he had expected to go. In the Players’ Tribune, he explains the expectations that he had been given by his hockey advisor heading into the draft:
“In 2012, after a strong freshman year at Union, my hockey advisor told me I might go in the sixth or seventh round of the draft. I mean, there’s only seven rounds. So when I heard that, I was excited, but I didn’t really know what to think, because I could’ve just as easily not been drafted at all.”
Obviously, when you’re expecting to go that late in the draft, you’re probably not watching the TV too intently after round one. Other than the diehard fans, that’s when most people stop watching, so if you’re not expected to go for another 100 picks or so, you might tune out a bit – which is exactly what Gostisbehere did.
In that same Players’ Tribune piece, here is his explanation of how he found out he was drafted in 2012:
“So I was eating breakfast with my family in Florida during the third round — and I really wasn’t paying attention to the TV. The draft was on in the background and muted. We were just having a regular morning. I remember, I think I was taking dishes into the kitchen, and I saw the Flyers logo on the big board, then … GOSTISBEHERE popped up. Like, you know how train departure times pop up at a station? Same thing.
I was like, ‘Uh, Mom?’
And she flat-out tackled me onto the couch — like, a perfect wrap and take-down.
Everyone started crying. I couldn’t believe it. I don’t think I had really pictured my draft-day moment, but I definitely didn’t expect it to go down like this.”
It’s a special moment getting drafted to the NHL no matter what the position you’re taken in, but getting taken 3-4 rounds earlier than you expected has to add something special.
