Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer was born on November 25, 1991, in Rosenheim, Germany, and was selected by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the 2010 NHL Draft. The left-catching goaltender stands 6'1" and weighs 188 pounds. Now 34, he carries a career record of 179 wins, 151 losses, and 37 overtime losses across 402 games played, with a career goals-against average of 2.65, a save percentage of .908, and 22 shutouts.

Grubauer currently plays for the Seattle Kraken, wearing number 31. In the 2025–26 season he has appeared in 32 games, going 13–12–4 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. He will also represent Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Olympian Philipp Grubauer Explains Custom Stick Grip

InGoal Magazine has covered Philipp Grubauer in one Pro Read, one drill breakdown, and two InGoal articles.

Kevin Woodley visited Seattle and reviewed Grubauer's game-day warm-up routine in detail. Pro Drills with Philipp Grubauer Grubauer described the warm-up as consistent from game to game — "It hasn't changed. It's the same stuff every morning" — and explained that the routine is designed to replicate game situations that a standard morning skate rarely provides. The sequence begins with static shooting for hand-eye coordination, progresses to shots that require body rotation and tracking the puck into the body, and then adds shots taken while the goalie is still moving across the crease. On that final phase, Grubauer noted that the slide component is intentional: "Sometimes on a one timer you're not going to get from the far side of the crease to the post on your feet. You can't beat that every time, you're going to be too late sometimes, so you have to slide." When time allows, post play is incorporated as well, including bad-angle shots and pass-out situations — with Grubauer specifically citing Conor McDavid's tendency to flip the puck up off a goalie's head as something the drills are designed to address.

During that same visit, Woodley documented Grubauer's custom stick grip. Olympian Philipp Grubauer Explains Custom Stick Grip Grubauer uses a double-notched custom grip on his Bauer stick and chokes down on the paddle, adding a single strip of tape at the base of the shaft in a manner similar to what Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight have been documented doing. "I've had that my whole career," Grubauer said. "It feels just more comfortable."

In a Pro Read examining how NHL goalies read shooters, Grubauer was among three Seattle goaltenders — along with Joey Daccord and Matt Murray — who discussed the topic with InGoal. Pro Reads with (all 3) Seattle Kraken Goalies Grubauer described the information he prioritizes: "We get the most information out of the blade of a guy and the body language they shoot the puck with. For the modern goalie, it's not looking down at the puck. I think it's seeing the bigger picture, what the release is." He also referenced specific shooters like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone as examples of players whose long sticks and varied release options require particular attention.

A mid-season analytics review published by InGoal in January 2026, using data from Clear Sight Analytics, noted that Grubauer led the NHL in raw save percentage at .924 at that point in the season. Myth-Busters 2025-26 Mid-Season Awards with Clear Sight Analytics The piece referenced his late surge from the prior season — when he returned from an in-season assignment to the American Hockey League and posted strong numbers down the stretch — and noted that since December 1 of the current season he ranked third in the NHL in adjusted save percentage at +2.3% and fifth in goals saved above expected at +6.76, working into a back-and-forth with Daccord while Matt Murray recovered from a lower-body injury.