Gilbert is an extremely composed and poised defenseman. He’s a solid player, and even though he’s got great offensive instincts, he’s real strong defensively. He excels in the one-on- one situations, when the opposing forward is coming into the zone. He possesses an active stick with a deceptively long reach to poke the puck away or disrupt the timing of the forward. Keeps his frame in the lanes and will play physical when needed. He shows some nastiness in front of his own net by taking a few liberties on opponents or delivering a big hit along the wall to separate the puck. The one major knock we have with Gilbert is his feet. He is balanced and possesses a powerful stride, he will definitely need to work on his burst and first few steps at Notre Dame, because he often can be caught from behind in puck retrieval. He’s a real smart defenseman, always has his head up, and is able to withstand a big hit. Not only does he make an accurate rst pass, but he loves to join the rush and loves to carry the puck up the ice as well. When he is in the offensive zone, he is a very aggressive pincher. The times when he is successful pinching is when he is tracking down a loose puck along the boards. He has no hesitation in his decision making, when to go get that puck or when to start falling back. (May 2015)