Finnish goaltender Christopher Gibson, 31, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the season with HC Nové Zámky, the Slovak Extraliga club announced on social media.
Gibson was born in Karkkila, Finland to a Saint Lucian father and a Finnish mother. He played youth hockey for the Espoo Blues club in suburban Helsinki but went to Canada at age 15 to play for the Notre Dame Hounds Midget AAA team in Wilcox, Sask. He then played four seasons for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL.
Gibson was chosen in the second round, 49th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft but never signed with the team. Instead, he signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013.
Between 2013 and 2023, Gibson played mostly in the AHL but also appeared in 16 NHL games for the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning, earning a Stanley Cup ring with the Lightning in 2021 because he dressed as a backup in the Stanley Cup final. He was also NHL property of the Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken.
Gibson spent the 2023-24 season in the Finnish Liiga playing for Lukko Rauma, playing in 15 regular-season games and three playoff games.
Nové Zámky sits last in the Extraliga standings with four wins in 19 games but the club is clearly attempting to turn around its season by overhauling its roster. The club has added several players over the past month, including ex-NHLers Nick Ritchie, Jayce Hawryluk, Nathan Beaulieu and Christian Thomas.