Philipp Grubauer

Philipp Grubauer was playing junior hockey in Windsor, Ontario when the Washington Capitals selected him in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the 2010 NHL Draft — the same spring he won the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. More than fifteen years later, the Rosenheim, Germany native is in his 402nd career NHL game, still tending goal for the Seattle Kraken.

Grubauer's path to a regular NHL starting role was a gradual one. After the Capitals drafted him, he made his first NHL appearances in the 2012-13 season — two games, no wins — before spending the bulk of those early years developing in the minors. He appeared in 17 games for Washington in 2013-14, going 6-5 with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. The 2014-15 season brought a notable milestone: in April 2015, Grubauer became the first German-born goaltender to start and win a Stanley Cup playoff game. He appeared in just one regular-season game that year, winning it, before his role expanded steadily over the next two seasons. In 2015-16 he played 22 games, and in 2016-17 he went 13-6 with a 2.04 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage across 24 appearances, his most productive statistical line as a Capital. The 2017-18 season brought a personal high-water mark of another sort: Grubauer was part of Washington's Stanley Cup championship, posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.35 goals-against average in 35 regular-season games that year.

In the summer of 2018, the Capitals traded Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche, where he developed into a full-time starter over three seasons. His 2018-19 campaign in Denver produced 18 wins, a 2.64 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage across 37 games, followed by a 2019-20 shortened season of 36 games with an 18-12 record, a 2.63 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage. The 2020-21 season, played in the pandemic-compressed format, was the statistical peak of his career to date: 40 games, 30 wins, nine losses, a 1.95 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and 7 shutouts — all career bests.

Grubauer's next chapter began when Seattle selected him as a free agent ahead of the Kraken's inaugural 2021-22 season. He became a piece of franchise history in February 2022 when he recorded the first shutout in Kraken history. That first season in Seattle was demanding — 55 games, an 18-31 record, a 3.16 goals-against average, and a .889 save percentage — as the expansion franchise found its footing. Grubauer's workload and results shifted in subsequent seasons. In 2022-23 he went 17-14 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage across 39 games. The following season, 2023-24, he played 36 games, posting a 14-16 record, a 2.85 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. The 2024-25 season was a difficult one: 26 games, an 8-17 record, a 3.49 goals-against average, and a .875 save percentage. That stretch included a demotion to the American Hockey League, though Grubauer returned and posted strong numbers down the final weeks of that season.

The 2025-26 campaign has brought a rebound. Through 32 games, Grubauer is 13-12 with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. A mid-season analysis published by InGoal using Clear Sight Analytics data noted that Grubauer ranked first in the NHL in raw save percentage at .924 at the time of publication, and that since December 1 he had moved to 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 Kraken partner Joey Daccord ^[1].

Across 402 career NHL games, Grubauer has accumulated 179 wins, a 2.65 career goals-against average, a .908 career save percentage, and 22 shutouts.

Grubauer's career has also carried an international dimension. Born and raised in Germany, he represented his country at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and IIHF World U18 Championship in 2008, and at the World Junior Championships in both 2009 and 2010. At the senior level he has played in five IIHF World Championships — 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024. He was part of the German qualification effort for the 2018 Winter Olympics, helping his country clinch a spot in those Games. He is set to represent Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics as well, with InGoal having noted he broke in custom-colored True pads and gloves ahead of that competition ^[2].

Grubauer spoke with InGoal about his equipment in detail, specifically the unique, double-notched custom grip he has used on his stick throughout his career. "I've had that my whole career," he told InGoal's Kevin Woodley. "It feels just more comfortable." Woodley's piece explains how Grubauer chokes down on the custom paddle and adds a single strip of tape at the base of the shaft — InGoal members can read the full breakdown at ^[2].

InGoal also documented Grubauer's game-day warm-up routine after a visit to Seattle, with Woodley walking through the Kraken pre-game drill sequence alongside Grubauer's explanation of why morning skate alone doesn't replicate game conditions. "It hasn't changed. It's the same stuff every morning," Grubauer said. "We go through different game situations that we won't have in a normal team practice or morning skate." Grubauer also described the importance of the final, movement-integrated shooting drill in the sequence: "First of all, it's about timing, getting over there and sometimes on a one timer you're not going to get from the far side of the crease to the post on your feet." The full drill breakdown, including video from a morning skate in Vancouver, is available to InGoal members ^[3].

On the subject of reading shooters, Grubauer offered a window into the cognitive side of goaltending during a conversation that also involved Daccord and Matt Murray. "We get the most information out of the blade of a guy and the body language they shoot the puck with," he told InGoal. "For the modern goalie, it's not looking down at the puck. I think it's seeing the bigger picture, what the release is." That conversation, along with perspectives from five other NHL goalies on what they look for from shooters, is part of a Pro Read available to InGoal members — and the full audio from all three Kraken goalies is on the InGoal Radio Podcast ^[4].

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