In case you haven’t heard, there is a ridiculously talented rookie defenseman on the Philadelphia Flyers. His name is Shane Gostisbehere, and he is only 22 years-old. The former third-round pick from Union College is all over the news, and for good reason, as he has just broken the record for longest point streak by a rookie defenseman. This may seem oddly specific, and it is, but it is impressive nonetheless.

This record was previously held by Barry Beck, who accomplished the feat in the 1977-78 season. One reason this is impressive is that many great NHL defensemen, like Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque, were never even close to that feat. Also, it puts Gostisbehere in the running for the Calder Trophy for the league’s best rookie. If he were to win, he would be the first Flyer and only the eleventh defenseman to do so.

In his current streak, he has 14 points and counting (three goals and 11 assists). Tonight, the Flyers play the Rangers as Gostisbehere looks to make it 12 games with a point. His 30 points (10 goals and 20 assists) places him at number one for rookie defense scoring and fifth place in all-rookie scoring, trailing Artemi Panarin, with 52 points, Dylan Larkin and Jack Eichel with 38 points each, and Max Domi, who has 35 points. Keep in mind that he has also played 20 fewer games than each of these players. He also leads all rookies in Power Play Points (he has 17) and overtime goals (three).

So far, Shane Gostisbehere has been the brightest spot in a dark and disappointing season. He is one of the flyers “Big 5” defense prospects. These five being Sam Morin, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov and Gostisbehere. He is the oldest and the only one playing with the big club full time. The future of the Flyers defense is bright and the one carrying the torch now is the young Gostisbehere. He seems to be a shoe-in for the Calder Trophy now, especially if he maintains this pace.

I have already got some Gostisbehere merchandise, which is rapidly becoming the most available Flyers apparel. Because he has already broken this one record, we fans look forward to seeing what Gostisbehere can accomplish during the rest of the season and beyond.