Grubauer to Represent Team Europe at 2016 World Cup of Hockey
ARLINGTON, Va. – Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer (Germany) has been selected to represent Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Grubauer joins Capitals teammates Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden), John Carlson (United States), Braden Holtby (Canada), Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia), Matt Niskanen (United States), Dmitry Orlov (Russia), T.J. Oshie (United States) and Alex Ovechkin (Russia) at the tournament. In addition, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz will serve as an assistant coach for Team Canada. The 2016 World Cup of Hockey will be held in Toronto from Sept. 17, 2016, through Oct. 1, 2016. The eight-team tournament will feature Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, Team Europe, Team North America and the United States.
Phillip Grubauer
Grubauer, 24, has represented Germany in international competition at the 2014 World Championship, two World Junior Championships (2009, 2011) and the 2008 World U18 Championship. In addition, Grubauer stopped 26 of 28 shots on Sunday in Germany’s 3-2 victory over Latvia to earn Germany a berth in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Grubauer posted a 3-0-0 record with two shutouts, a 0.67 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage in three games at the final Olympic qualification tournament. With the addition of Grubauer, the Capitals are one of four NHL teams (NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Winnipeg) with two goaltenders playing in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Grubauer posted an 8-9-1 record in 2015-16 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. The 6’1”, 182-pound goaltender ranked third in the NHL among rookie goaltenders in goals-against average and tied for fifth in save percentage (min. 10 games played) last season. Grubauer stopped 39 of 40 shots on Feb. 16 against Los Angeles, becoming the third rookie goaltender in franchise history to earn a win while facing at least 40 shots and allowing no more than one goal. The Rosenheim, Germany, native has posted a 15-15-6 record with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in 42 career NHL games.
Four teams participating in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey will hold pre-tournament exhibition games at Verizon Center on Sept. 13 and 14. The United States, featuring Carlson, Niskanen and Oshie, will face Finland on Sept. 13 at Verizon Center. Sweden, featuring Backstrom, will face Team Europe, featuring Grubauer, on Sept. 14. Per NHL/NHLPA, all practices for the United States, Sweden, Finland and Team Europe at Kettler Capitals Iceplex and Verizon Center will be closed to the public. Tickets are available online only on WashingtonCaps.com and Ticketmaster.com. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. Washington Capitals fans are encouraged to make their ticket purchases directly from the team. Only tickets purchased through the team are guaranteed to be valid. For more information on Capitals tickets contact 202-266-CAPS or visit WashingtonCaps.com.
