Grubauer is ECHL Alumnus of the Month

Former South Carolina Stingrays and Reading Royals goaltender Philipp Grubauer of the Colorado Avalanche is ECHL Alumnus of the Month for January.

The 29-year-old went 6-2-0 in eight appearances during the month with two shutouts, a 1.75 goals-against average and a save percentage of .930. He allowed two goals or less in six of his eight appearances and made at least 25 saves four times.

A native of Rosenheim, Germany, Grubauer went 42-18-6 in 69 career ECHL appearances with South Carolina and Reading during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team while with the Stingrays in 2011-12 and the following season while with the Royals, he became the first player in ECHL history to appear in the ECHL All-Star Classic and the National Hockey League in the same season.

Selected by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Grubauer has seen action in 182 career NHL games with Washington and Colorado posting an overall record of 85-54-20 with 13 shutouts, a 2.40 goals-against average and a save percentage of .920.

There have been 685 players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including seven who have made their debut in 2020-21. The ECHL has had 490 players reach the NHL since 2002-03 when it changed its focus to become the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL. The ECHL had 97 players reach the NHL in its first 10 seasons and 215 in the first 15 years. There have been 429 ECHL players who have played their first game in the last 16 seasons for an average of more than 26 per year.