| Philipp Grubauer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Grubauer with theSeattle Kraken in February 2024 | |||
| Born | (1991-11-25)25 November 1991 (age 33) Rosenheim, Germany | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Seattle Kraken Washington Capitals Colorado Avalanche | ||
| National team |  Germany | ||
| NHL draft | 112th overall,2010 Washington Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||
Philipp Grubauer (born 25 November 1991) is a German professionalice hockeygoaltender for theSeattle Kraken of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by theWashington Capitals in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the2010 NHL entry draft.
Playingmajor junior hockey, Grubauer won theMemorial Cup with theOntario Hockey League (OHL)'sWindsor Spitfires in2010. He started his professional career with the Capitalsthe next season. In April 2015, while playing for the Capitals, Grubauer became the first German-born goaltender to start and win aStanley Cup playoff game.[1] Grubauer won theStanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in2018. Grubauer then spent three years with theColorado Avalanche before signing a contract with the Kraken. Grubauer is the first Kraken goaltender to record ashutout, doing so in February 2022.[2]
Internationally, Grubauer representsGermany. He played at theWorld U-17 Hockey Challenge andIIHF World U18 Championship in 2008. Following his play in the2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Germany wasrelegated toDivision I A. Grubauer helped Germany back to the Top Division in2010. He also competed in the2011 installment. Grubauer has participated in five seniorWorld Championships:2014,2017,2019,2022, and2024. In 2018, he competed in thequalification round for the2018 Winter Olympics, helping Germany clinch a spot.
Grubauer began his career in Germany, playing for his hometown'sjunior team, theStarbulls Rosenheim. He began playing for them in 2004 at the age of 13.[3] The Starbulls played in theOberliga, the third tier of German ice hockey. His debut with the Starbulls' senior club came on 17 February 2008, when he was 16, in a 2–0shutout victory.[4] Following the season, in therelegation round, the Starbulls' primary goaltender was not playing well. The team's coach then approached Grubauer, who agreed to play. Rosenheim won the game 2–1. Grubauer played six more games, saving the team from relegation.[5]
Following the 2007–08 season, Grubauer moved to North America to play with theBelleville Bulls of theOntario Hockey League (OHL) after being selected 25th overall in the 2008Canadian Hockey League (CHL)Import Draft.[6]
With the Bulls, Grubauer served as the back-up goaltender toMike Murphy for the2008–09 season, and he only played 17 games.[7] He became the team's starter in2009–10 and played in 31 games for the Bulls before being traded on 4 January 2010 to theWindsor Spitfires in a seven player deal.[8] At the age of 18, Grubauer helped the Spitfires win theMemorial Cup for the second consecutive year in May 2010. Grubauer led all goaltenders in the tournament with a .930save percentage and a 2.14goals against average (GAA).[9]
On 26 June 2010, Grubauer was selected in the fourth round, 112th overall, by theWashington Capitals in the2010 NHL entry draft.[10]
Just a few days after the NHL Draft, Grubauer, along with Windsor's first-round 2010 CHL Import Draft pick, was traded to theKingston Frontenacs in exchange for Nick Czinder, A. J. Jarosz, Kingston's first-round pick in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, and Kingston's second- and seventh-round (conditional) picks in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection.[11] Grubauer signed a three-year,entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on 4 October 2010 as his season with the Frontenacs began.[12]
Grubauer played 38 games with the Frontenacs, achieving a 22–13–3 record with a .903 save percentage and 3.62 GAA,[13] before falling ill withmononucleosis in February. He returned to Germany to recuperate and missed the rest of the season, which was his final age-eligible season in the OHL.[14]
Grubauer returned to the ice for the first time since his bout with mononucleosis at the Capitals'2011–12 season development camp. He reported that he had lost 20 pounds while ill.[15] Following training camp in September, Grubauer was assigned to theSouth Carolina Stingrays, theECHL affiliate of the Capitals.[16] Grubauer was recalled to theAmerican Hockey League (AHL)'sHershey Bears on 12 October 2011,[17] but did not play any games and returned to the Stingrays on 23 October.[18] On 8 November 2011, the ECHL announced that Grubauer had been named the Reebok Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of 31 October to 6 November, as Grubauer went 3–0–0 with one shutout, a 1.00 GAA and a .960 save percentage during that span.[19] Grubauer was named the ECHL's Goaltender of the Month for November. In eight games with the Stingrays in November, he went 6–1–1 with one shutout, a 1.73 GAA and a .935 save percentage.[20] Grubauer was named ECHL Rookie of the Month in January and at the conclusion of the season, was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team for 2011–12.[21]
In the2012–13 season, the Washington Capitals' ECHL affiliation became theReading Royals. Grubauer split the season between Reading and Hershey, moving up to Hershey when the NHL ended theirlockout and when goaltenderBraden Holtby was promoted to Washington full-time for the2012–13 season.[22] On 23 February 2013, Grubauer recorded his first AHL shutout, making 40 saves in a 3–0 victory over theAdirondack Phantoms.[23] A few days later, on 27 February 2013, Grubauer made his NHL debut with the Capitals in relief of Holtby in a 4–1 loss to thePhiladelphia Flyers, stopping all 14 shots faced in just over 25 minutes of play.[24] Grubauer made his first NHL start on 9 March 2013, in a 5–2 loss to theNew York Islanders. He faced 45 shots in the game, stopping 40.[25]
For the2013–14 season, Grubauer's place in the hierarchy fell behind Holtby andMichal Neuvirth, so he played most of the season with Hershey. On 29 November 2013, Neuvirth suffered a leg injury during warmups, which allowed Grubauer a spot with Washington.[26] Over the season, Grubauer played 17 games with the Capitals. He went 6–5–5 and managed a .925 save percentage and 2.38 GAA.[27]
Grubauer played most of the2014–15 season with Hershey. In April 2015, Grubauer found another opportunity to play with the Capitals after Holtby fell ill. On 17 April 2015, Grubauer would become the first German goaltender to start a playoff game, a 4–3 win against the New York Islanders in the second game of the first round of theStanley Cup playoffs.[28] On 15 June, Grubauer signed a two-year, $1.5 million contract with the Capitals.[29]
On 6 July 2017, the Capitals re-signed Grubauer to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.[30] During the2017–18 season, Grubauer recorded a career-high 15 wins in 28 starts. Grubauer was the Capitals' starter to begin the2018 Stanley Cup playoffs after a strong (7–3–0) record in 10 of the final 16 games in the Capitals' regular season.[31] Grubauer made 23 saves in a 4–3 overtime loss in Game One against theColumbus Blue Jackets.[32] However, Holtby permanently took over the goaltending duties from Grubauer after replacing him during Game 2 of the series.[33] The Capitals ended up winning theStanley Cup after defeating theVegas Golden Knights in five games.[34]
On 22 June 2018, Grubauer andBrooks Orpik were traded to theColorado Avalanche in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick during the2018 NHL Entry Draft.[35] The following day, the Avalanche re-signed Grubauer to a three-year, $10 million contract extension.[36]
During the2018–19 season, Grubauer would display an 18–9–5 record and a .917 save percentage during the regular season, and a second-half surge led him to be named Colorado's starting goaltender for the2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.[37] He helped lead the Avalanche to a first-round upset over the first-placeCalgary Flames,[38] but lost in Round 2 to theSan Jose Sharks in seven games.[39] Grubauer recorded a 7–5 record with a 2.30 goals against average and .925 save percentage during the playoffs.[40]
During the 2019 off-season, goaltenderSemyon Varlamov signed a free-agent deal with theNew York Islanders, cementing Grubauer's place as Colorado's starter.[41] Injuries again hampered his2019–20 season and he ended up splitting time withPavel Francouz. He made 36 starts in the regular season and went 5–1 with a 1.87 goals against average in seven playoffs starts before suffering an injury in the second round.[42]
Grubauer bounced back from his playoff injury and had the best season of his career during the shortened2020–21 season. With veteran backup Pavel Francouz injured the entire season, Grubauer had a heavy workload and started 39 of 56 contests. He finished the regular season with a record of 30–9–1, a GAA of 1.95, a save percentage of .922, and seven shutouts despite missing two weeks in April with aCOVID-19 diagnosis.[43] His win total was second only toAndrei Vasilevskiy (31) and his goals against average was second only toAlex Nedeljkovic (1.90), who played 17 fewer games than Grubauer. Grubauer's save percentage was good for ninth on the season, and he tied for the league lead in shutouts withSemyon Varlamov.[44] On 10 May 2021, with his team needing a regulation win in order to prevent theVegas Golden Knights from winning both the division and thePresidents' Trophy, Grubauer stopped 36 of 37 shots in a 2–1 victory.[45] The Avalanche won their division and the Presidents' Trophy for the third time infranchise history three days later after defeating theLos Angeles Kings 5–1 at home in the 56th and final game of the regular season. On 1 June 2021, Grubauer was named aVezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career.[46]
Grubauer continued his stellar play in the2021 Stanley Cup playoffs as the Avalanche swept theSt. Louis Blues in the West Division First Round.[47] After defeating the Knights 3–2 in overtime in the second game of the second round and making a postseason career-high 39 saves, Grubauer became only the 10th goaltender in NHL history to record 10 or more consecutive victories in the postseason. He also broke famed Avalanche goaltenderPatrick Roy's longstanding franchise record for a postseason win streak by attaining his sixth straight win. Roy had previously held the record with five straight wins which he set three separate times.[48]
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On 28 July 2021, as a free agent and unable to come to terms with the Avalanche, Grubauer opted to sign a six-year, $35.4 million contract to join the new expansion club, theSeattle Kraken.[49] He became the first Seattle Kraken goaltender to record ashutout on 2 February 2022, defeating the New York Islanders 3–0.[50] He ended the Kraken's inaugural season with a 3.16 GAA and a .889 save percentage, making him one of the statistically worst starting goaltenders in the league.[51]
For the2022–23 season, the Kraken saw fellow goaltenderMartin Jones sign a one-year contract with the team.[52] This gave Grubauer a new teammate; Jones would start 42 games, and Grubauer would start 39.[53] However, it was Grubauer who started on 6 April 2023, when the Kraken clinched their first-ever playoff berth following a 4–2 win over theArizona Coyotes.[54] Overall, Grubauer improved to a 2.85 GAA and a .895 save percentage, winning 17 of his 39 starts.[53] During the2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Grubauer played all of the Kraken's 14 games, including a first round upset of his former team, the Avalanche,[55] and the Kraken's second round loss to theDallas Stars.[56]
Grubauer was the primary starter for the Kraken for the beginning oftheir third season before he was sidelined with a lower-body injury on 9 December 2023.[57][58] Grubauer returned for the Kraken in late January.[59] He ended the season with a 2.85 GAA and a .899 save percentage.[60]
On 29 January 2025, Grubauer was placed on waivers and sent to theCoachella Valley Firebirds minor-league team.[61] He played in seven games for the Firebirds and maintained a 5-2-0 record with an .893 save percentage and 2.87 GAA, before being recalled to the NHL on 2 March 2025.[62]
Grubauer has appeared in several international competitions, representingGermany. He participated in the2008 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where Germany placed ninth in the tournament; Grubauer was named to the tournament's All-Star team after posting a .909 save percentage and 3.49 GAA.[63] Three months following the 2008 U-17 Hockey Challenge, Grubauer, sharing goaltending duties withFelix Brückmann, played in the2008 IIHF World U18 Championships, held inKazan,Russia. Germany placed fifth in the tournament, and Grubauer was selected as Germany's Player of the Game in Germany's 9–2 loss to Canada on the first day of round robin play.[64]
At the age of 17, Grubauer participated in the2009 World Junior Championships inOttawa. However, Germany won just one game in the tournament, and following a ninth-place finish, were relegated to Division I for the2010 World Junior Championships.[65] Grubauer gained attention while competing for Germany inDivision I of the 2010 World Junior Championships inMegève andSaint-Gervais-les-Bains,France. Germany placed first in their group, winning all five of their games in order to put them back in the Top Division for the2011 World Junior Championships. Germany's success was largely due to the play of Grubauer, who posted a 0.64 GAA and a .974 save percentage in five games.[65] Grubauer then participated in the2011 World Junior Championships inBuffalo andLewiston,New York, but Germany performed similarly to the 2009 World Junior Championships and finished tenth, sending them back to Division I for 2012. Grubauer recorded losses for all four games he started in the tournament.[65]
Grubauer's first senior international tournament came at the2014 World Championships.[66] On 12 May 2014, achieved his first ever international win a 3–2 victory overLatvia.[67] Grubauer chose to compete again at the2017 World Championships.[68] Germany participated in thequalification round for the2018 Winter Olympics. Grubauer started with back-to-back shutouts overJapan (5–0) andAustria (6–0). He then helped Germany beat the hostLatvians 3–2 to secure Germany's bid to the Olympics.[69] Grubauer then played at the2019 World Championships.[70] Grubauer then competed three years later at the2022 World Championships.[71] Most recently, Grubauer has competed at the2024 World Championships.[72]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2007–08 | Starbulls Rosenheim | 3.GBun | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2.73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 17 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 947 | 62 | 0 | 3.93 | .888 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 4 | 0 | 4.26 | .902 | ||
| 2009–10 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 31 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 1717 | 90 | 0 | 3.14 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 19 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1011 | 40 | 2 | 2.37 | .906 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 1094 | 49 | 2 | 2.69 | .909 | ||
| 2010–11 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 38 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 2239 | 135 | 2 | 3.62 | .903 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 43 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 2536 | 94 | 1 | 2.22 | .918 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Reading Royals | ECHL | 26 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1542 | 59 | 0 | 2.30 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 28 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 1624 | 61 | 2 | 2.25 | .919 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 301 | 19 | 0 | 3.79 | .901 | ||
| 2012–13 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 84 | 5 | 0 | 3.57 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 28 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1685 | 73 | 3 | 2.60 | .916 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 17 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 883 | 35 | 0 | 2.38 | .925 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 49 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 2918 | 112 | 6 | 2.30 | .921 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 394 | 22 | 0 | 3.35 | .901 | ||
| 2014–15 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 1.85 | .920 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 | .857 | ||
| 2015–16 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 22 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 1111 | 43 | 0 | 2.32 | .918 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 24 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1265 | 43 | 3 | 2.04 | .926 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 6.32 | .778 | ||
| 2017–18 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 35 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 1865 | 73 | 3 | 2.35 | .923 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 105 | 8 | 0 | 4.57 | .837 | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 37 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 2021 | 89 | 3 | 2.64 | .917 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 732 | 28 | 1 | 2.30 | .925 | ||
| 2019–20 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 36 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2058 | 90 | 2 | 2.63 | .916 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 385 | 12 | 1 | 1.87 | .922 | ||
| 2020–21 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 40 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 2367 | 77 | 7 | 1.95 | .922 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 598 | 26 | 0 | 2.61 | .914 | ||
| 2021–22 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 55 | 18 | 31 | 5 | 3112 | 164 | 2 | 3.16 | .889 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 39 | 17 | 14 | 4 | 2066 | 98 | 0 | 2.85 | .895 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 823 | 41 | 0 | 2.99 | .903 | ||
| 2023–24 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 36 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 1997 | 95 | 2 | 2.85 | .899 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Seattle Kraken | NHL | 26 | 8 | 17 | 1 | 1460 | 85 | 0 | 3.49 | .875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Coachella Valley Firebirds | AHL | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 418 | 20 | 0 | 2.87 | .893 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 370 | 166 | 139 | 33 | 20,352 | 899 | 22 | 2.65 | .908 | 47 | 26 | 18 | 2,722 | 120 | 2 | 2.65 | .910 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Germany | U17 | 9th | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.49 | .909 | |
| 2008 | Germany | U18 | 5th | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4.16 | .877 | |
| 2009 | Germany | WJC | 9th | 3 | — | — | — | 109 | 12 | 0 | 6.61 | .838 | |
| 2010 | Germany | WJC-D1 | P | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.64 | .974 | |
| 2011 | Germany | WJC | 10th | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 176 | 13 | 0 | 4.44 | .888 | |
| 2014 | Germany | WC | 14th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 118 | 4 | 0 | 2.03 | .921 | |
| 2017 | Germany | WC | 8th | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 125 | 5 | 0 | 2.42 | .938 | |
| 2018 | Germany | OGQ | Q | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 2 | 2 | 0.67 | .970 | |
| 2019 | Germany | WC | 6th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 7 | 0 | 2.86 | .920 | |
| 2022 | Germany | WC | 7th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 296 | 12 | 1 | 2.43 | .907 | |
| 2024 | Germany | WC | 6th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 339 | 17 | 0 | 3.01 | .895 | |
| Junior totals | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.87 | .897 | ||||
| Senior totals | 21 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 1,208 | 47 | 3 | 2.55 | .899 | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| ECHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2011–12 | [21] |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2018 | [34] |
| International | ||
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge All-Star Team | 2008 | |