Grubauer is Bellevue University ECHL Alumnus of the Month

Former South Carolina Stingrays and Reading Royals goaltender Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken is the Bellevue University ECHL Alumnus of the Month for February.

The 32-year-old went 4-0-0 in five appearances during the month with one shutout, a 1.46 goals-against average and a save percentage of .947. Grubauer allowed two goals or less in four of his appearances and made at least 26 saves in three outings. He ended the month by making 33 saves in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 29.

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 330 career NHL games with Washington, Colorado and Seattle posting an overall record of 153-115-31 with 21 shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average and a save percentage of .911.

There have been 750 players who have played in the NHL after playing in the ECHL including 10  who have made their debut in 2023-24. The ECHL has had 558 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 494 ECHL players who have played their first game in the last 19 seasons for an average of 26 per year.