Home / News / Capitals re-assign Garin Bjorklund to Hershey, Mitchell Gibson released from amateur tryout agreement

Capitals re-assign Garin Bjorklund to Hershey, Mitchell Gibson released from amateur tryout agreement

By Chris Cerullo

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April 17, 2023 4:05 pm

The Washington Capitals announced on Monday that have re-assigned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Additionally, the Bears released goaltender Mitchell Gibson from his amateur tryout agreement.

The news comes as Hershey awaits their first opponent of the Calder Cup Playoffs after securing a first-round bye with their 97-point, second-place Eastern Conference finish. That series will start during the final week of April.

Both Bjorklund and Gibson are Capitals draft picks. Bjorklund was taken in the sixth round of the 2020 draft and Gibson is a fourth-round selection from the 2018 draft.

The 2022-23 campaign was Bjorklund’s first as a professional after he spent parts of four seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Unfortunately, he has been injured for the vast majority of his rookie year and only just made his professional debut for the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL on April 15.

In that game, Bjorklund stopped 24 of 28 shots fired his way and took home the victory after stopping three of four shootout attempts after things could not be settled in overtime. He will now serve as Hershey’s third goaltender behind Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard for the Bears’ postseason run.

Gibson signed the tryout agreement a week ago to get his first taste of being a professional hockey player. His release from that agreement on Monday was expected as the 23-year-old has some schoolwork he needs to finish at Harvard to wrap up his four-year degree in economics.

This season with the Crimson, Gibson posted a record of 18-7-2 and ranked third among all Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) goaltenders in both save percentage (.919) and goals-against average (2.25). He served as Harvard’s starting goaltender for all three years of his college hockey career.

Gibson officially signed his entry-level contract with the Caps on April 7 after needing to serve as the team’s emergency backup at the NHL level due to Charlie Lindgren coming down with an illness.

Here is the press release from the Bears on both moves:

BJORKLUND RE-ASSIGNED TO HERSHEY, GIBSON RELEASED FROM ATO

(Hershey, PA – April 17, 2023) – The Washington Capitals, the NHL affiliate of the Hershey Bears, announced today that goaltender Garin Bjorklund has been re-assigned from South Carolina (ECHL) to Hershey. Additionally, the Bears released goaltender Mitchell Gibson from his amateur tryout agreement as he returns to Harvard University to finish schooling.

After missing the majority of the season due to injury, Bjorklund, 20, made his professional debut for South Carolina last Saturday, earning a 5-4 shootout victory over Jacksonville. He stopped 24 shots, and also denied three-of-four attempts in the shootout to earn his first pro victory.

The Capitals selected Bjorklund in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Prior to turning pro, he finished his junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2021-22, posting a 8-36-2 record with a 4.26 goals-against average, and a .877 save percentage. In 96 career games in the WHL with Medicine Hat, Bjorklund is 40-48-4 with three shutouts, a 3.50 goals-against average, and a .892 save percentage.

Bjorklund will wear #1 for Hershey.

The Hershey Bears 2023 Playoffs are sponsored by Penn State Health, and playoff ticket information and an Atlantic Division Semifinals series schedule will be shared as soon as it is available. Fans are asked to continue to check HersheyBears.com and the club’s social media channels for the latest update.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

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