The 23-year-old finds himself putting on an NHL sweater just a week after playing at Harvard.
WASHINGTON. -- Just one week after his NCAA career came to an end with Harvard, Mitchell Gibson is in D.C. and pulling on an NHL jersey as he joins the Washington Capitals in a rather unique situation on Sunday.
The Capitals have signed Gibson to an amateur tryout for Sunday's game against the New York Rangers, with Charlie Lindgren unable to dress due to a non-COVID illness. Gibson will back up Darcy Kuemper.
Washington is also expected to sign Gibson to an entry-level deal at a later date. He will forego one more year of NCAA eligibility at Harvard.
Gibson has been playing with the Crimson for the last three years. He finished this season with a .919 save percentage but saw his NCAA career end in tough fashion in an 8-1 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Bridgeport regional semifinal on Friday.
Over 79 career NCAA games, Gibson went 47-25-6 with a 2.32 GAA and .918 SV%.
The 23-year-old will become part of an impressive pool of goaltenders already in the organization. Starter Darcy Kuemper is signed through the next four seasons, while Charlie Lindgren is signed through 2025. Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard currently man the nets down with the Bears, and Clay Stevenson is also on the rise.
Additionally, Medicine Hat Tigers netminder Garin Bjorklund and Quinnipiac University goalie Chase Clark are also in the system. However, Bjorklund is currently on a long road to recovery after having back surgery earlier this season.
Washington took Gibson with their fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. Before starting this season with Harvard, Gibson joined the Capitals for their informal skates in September to take shots from Alex Ovechkin and more. Gibson was also at the team's annual development camp in July.