Washington Capitals sign goalie prospect Mitchell Gibson
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Washington Capitals are set to sign goaltender Mitchell Gibson to a one-year, entry-level contract.
Gibson recently finished his college career at Harvard University, going 18-7-2 with three shutouts and a .919 save percentage this year. He was a constant threat at Harvard, recording a career save percentage of .918 and an overall record of 47-25-6 in 79 games.
The 23-year-old still had one year of college eligibility left.
Gibson was drafted 124th overall by the Capitals in 2018. Prior to going through the college route, Gibson was the NAHL’s top goaltender and top rookie in the 2017-18 season, among other accolades. He joined the Central Illinois Flying Aces and had a solid season, but it wasn’t until he went to Harvard that he really started to show promise.
At the time Gibson was drafted, Braden Holtby was the starting goaltender and Ilya Samsonov was the team’s top prospect. But the team’s situation has changed a lot over the past few years, and now the Capitals need to feel like he’s going to be part of the team’s future.
Gibson will join the Hershey Bears of the AHL on an ATO to close out the season. The team currently rides with AHL veterans Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard, so Gibson will have strong mentors to learn from as he gets his first pro reps.
The Capitals have several goaltenders under contract for next season. Darcy Kuemper is signed until 2026-27, Charlie Lindgren will be there until 2025, and Clay Stevenson and Garin Bjorklund are also under contract. Fucale and Shepard are both UFA standbys, but one or both could be brought back for support at Hershey while working with Gibson and the other young options.
