Shayne Gostisbehere is another South Kent alum who originally resided in Pembroke Pines, FL. Gostisbehere played for South Kent from 2009-11, as he put together an incredible career. He was responsible for 69 points in 56 games, 56 of them on assists. This resulted in him being the MVP of the team.
After graduating from South Kent in the spring of 2011, Gostisbehere went on to play at Union College for three years (2011-14), racking up 82 points in 82 games. During his freshman season, Gostisbehere made the ECAC All-Rookie Team, leading all freshmen in goals (5), assists (17), and points (22). He continued to improve his game the following season, making the Second Team CCC All-American and Second Team All-ECAC teams. Although he was building a great resume early on at Union College, no year compares to what he did junior year. Along with leading the team to a National Championship, Shayne Gostisbehere was a Hobey Baker Finalist, a member of the ACHA First Team All-America East Team, Co-ECAC Player of the Year, Co-ECAC Best Defensive Defenseman of the Year, ECAC First Team recipient, Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four, NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team recipient, ECAC Hockey All-Tournament Team recipient, and more.
In 2014, Gostisbehere began his journey with the Philadelphia Flyers, the team that drafted him 78th overall in the 3rd round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He would go on to have a successful seven year tenure with the Flyers, scoring 60 goals and logging 159 assists in 381 games. Even though he made his NHL debut in the 2014-15 season, Gostisbehere qualified as a rookie in the 2015-16 season. He finished as a runner-up for the 2016 Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given to the NHL’s top rookie. He also won the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the Flyers best defenseman and the Gene Hart Memorial Award for having the most heart on the team.
Shayne Gostisbehere continued his career with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2021-22 season. The team struggled, but Gostisbehere took advantage of his opportunity, scoring the second most single season goals (14) and the second most single season points (51) of his career. He would play for the Coyotes through part of the 2022-23 season before being dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes. During the 2023 offseason, Gostisbehere was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he currently plays today.