The Washington Capitals recalled goaltender Mitch Gibson from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Tuesday.
Gibson joins the team as they head north to play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. His arrival comes after regular backup goaltender Charlie Lindgren missed Tuesday’s practice for what the team labeled maintenance-related reasons.
Lindgren made his first start in 10 games on Sunday, allowing eight goals in a blowout loss to the New York Rangers. Head coach Spencer Carbery stated that Lindgren will travel with the team to Toronto and be evaluated again on Wednesday.
“Charlie will travel, and we’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Carbery said.
Gibson has split the 2025-26 campaign between the Bears and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. In the AHL, he has posted a 9-8-3 record with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and one shutout. He has been recalled by the Capitals in the past but has yet to make his NHL debut.
With Gibson’s departure, the Bears still have two goalies on their roster, Clay Stevenson and Garin Bjorklund. The Bears do not play again until Saturday, when they travel to Charlotte to play the Checkers in a road back-to-back.
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Recall Mitch Gibson
2018 fourth-round pick has 2.79 GAA and .907 save percentage in 22 games with Hershey this season
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitch Gibson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Gibson, 26, has a 9-8-3 record with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and one shutout in 22 games with Hershey this season. The 6’2”, 205-pound goaltender has also appeared in 13 games with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), posting an 8-5-0 record with a 2.32 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and one shutout.
Last season, Gibson posted a 12-1-0 record with a 1.75 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and one shutout in 14 games with South Carolina. Gibson ranked first in the ECHL in goals-against average and second in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 10 games played. In his lone AHL start of 2024-25, Gibson made 26 saves in a 6-2 win at Springfield on Oct. 26, 2024.
During the 2023-24 season, Gibson went 22-14-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage and three shutouts in 42 games with South Carolina. Gibson’s 2.56 goals-against average ranked third among ECHL goaltenders with 40 or more games played. The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native also appeared in two games with Hershey, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
Gibson has a 12-8-3 record with a 2.68 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage and one shutout in 25 career AHL games with Hershey. In 69 career ECHL games with South Carolina, Gibson has posted a record of 42-20-3 with a 2.36 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and four shutouts.
Gibson played collegiately at Harvard University, where he posted a record of 47-25-6 with six shutouts, a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 80 games over three seasons.
The Capitals selected Gibson in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
