Walleye sign defenseman Kevin Gibson, son of Tigers great

Kirk Gibson's son spent last two seasons in ECHL

The Toledo Walleye signed defenseman Kevin Gibson today to a contract.

The Walleye have signed defenseman Kevin Gibson, the son of Detroit Tigers' legend Kirk Gibson.

Gibson, a 27-year-old from Grosse Pointe, Mich., had been playing overseas in Europe.

Gibson played the last two seasons with the ECHL's Quad City Mallards. He tallied 30 points with two goals and 28 assists in 64 contests last season.

He was playing this season for the Milton Keynes Lightning, a team based in England. He had appeared in 10 contests this season with one goal, four assists, and 11 penalty minutes.

The Walleye attained the rights to the defenseman as part of a deal in the offseason that eventually sent former Toledo defenseman Matt Caito to the Rapid City Rush.

Gibson was playing for the team in the United Kingdom but decided to return to the United States for personal reasons, according to Walleye coach Dan Watson.

“We had several good talks,” Watson said. “We really wanted to get him to Toledo. We liked what we saw from him in Quad City. He's been on our radar.”

Prior to turning professional in 2015-16, Gibson spent four years playing college hockey for the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.

In 117 games for the Pointers, Gibson scored 18 goals with 65 assists for 83 points with 68 penalty minutes. He was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year as a senior in 2014-15. He was an assistant captain and posted a point per game with 32 points (8 G, 24 A) in 31 contests.

Kirk Gibson played right field for the Detroit Tigers from 1983-87. He helped the Tigers win the World Series in 1984. He is currently a color commentator for the Tigers on the Fox Sports affiliate Detroit.

Kevin Gibson, who is 6-foot and 185 pounds, is expected to be in the lineup tonight for the Walleye when they play at Worcester.