The Philadelphia Flyers’ second-half surge has had a familiar look to college hockey fans accustomed to seeing Dave Hakstol’s teams at North Dakota improve dramatically after the Christmas break.

Another key element to the Flyers’ turnaround developed and made his mark at the NCAA level: rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.

Thursday night, Gostisbehere will lead Philadelphia into the Stanley Cup playoffs, with Games 3 and 4 of the first round likely to be held at Wells Fargo Center – the same rink where he turned in a virtuoso performance in the 2014 NCAA championship game for Union.

Legendary performance

What Gostisbehere did that night – one goal, two assists and a +7 rating in a 7-4 win – resembles in many ways the player who has helped elevate the Flyers from 13th place in the Eastern Conference to playoff position. According to Hakstol, who led North Dakota to that 2014 Frozen Four, Gostisbehere’s NCAA development is evident now in NHL rinks.

“Skill, ability, talent – everybody at this level has those things,” Hakstol said. “What I see in Shayne’s process as he makes this step is a high level of maturity, and that’s something he gained throughout his development and no question in his three years at Union College. His readiness to handle all of the challenges – not just the on-ice challenges, but all of the challenges – has been evident.”

Influenced heavily by the recall of Gostisbehere on Nov. 14, the Flyers are on a 35-19-11 run. Along the way, Gostisbehere distinguished himself as a strong Calder Trophy candidate as the NHL rookie of the year. He finished sixth among all defensemen in goals (17) and 17th in points (46), despite playing just 64 games.

Union memories

He is quick to credit Union for helping accelerate his development.

“Those were the best three years of my life,” he said. “Being a college student prepares you to be an adult.

“If you want to have fun and have the best experience of your life I’d definitely play college. You’re looking out for your future with an education, having fun with your friends and it prepares you to be a pro.”

It may even give you a glimpse of life at the NHL arena where you will chase Stanley Cup glory just two years later.