"We're excited to add a goaltender of Philipp's caliber, especially coming off of a season where he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy," said Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. "He was a part of a Stanley Cup-winning team and has been one of the top goaltenders in the League over the past few seasons and we're happy that he chose to join our team."
The 29-year-old finished the 2020-21 season with a record of 30-9-1 along with a 1.95 goals-against average (GAA), a .922 save percentage and seven shutouts in 40 games played with the Colorado Avalanche, who finished with the NHL's best record in the regular season. He finished second in the NHL in wins, second in goal-against average, eighth in save percentage and tied for first in shutouts. Grubauer did not lose back-to-back regulation games all regular season and allowed two or fewer goals in 28 of his 40 appearances.
The German-born netminder has amassed a record of 109-61-21 with a 2.34 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and 18 shutouts in 214 career games with both Colorado and the Washington Capitals, and set career highs in wins, goals-against average and shutouts last season. His career save percentage and GAA both rank first among all German-born goalies in NHL history.
Grubauer was a member of the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals and has posted a career playoff record of 19-10-1 with a 2.50 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Internationally, the native of Rosenheim, Germany, has represented his country in three World Championships (2019, 2017, 2014), two World Jr. Championships (2011, 2009) and the World Cup in 2017.
Before his NHL career, Grubauer appeared in 105 career AHL games with Hershey (Washington affiliate) and was named an AHL All-Star in 2014-15. In 2009-10, Grubauer helped his junior club, the Windsor Spitfires, win the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship before capturing the CHL Memorial Cup championship.
The six-foot-one, 188-pound goaltender was originally drafted by Washington in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
The Seattle Kraken will play their first game in 76 days on Oct. 12 at Vegas.
About Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are the National Hockey League's newest franchise, set to play their inaugural season in 2021-2022 at
Climate Pledge Arena
at Seattle Center, developed by
Oak View Group
. Visit
www.nhl.com/kraken
for the latest news and information including press releases, multimedia content and the latest hires.
