Capitals sign former Wild goalie to professional tryout agreement

The Washington Capitals on Tuesday added goaltender Cal Petersen to their training camp roster, signing the 31-year-old to a professional tryout agreement. Petersen will participate in Washington’s training camp and preseason while attempting to earn a contract for the 2026-27 season.

Petersen, who was originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round, 129th overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft, spent the 2025-26 campaign in the Minnesota Wild organization after signing a one-year, $775,000 deal with the team in July 2025. He did not appear in an NHL game for the Wild but was recalled from the Iowa Wild several times during the season. With Iowa, Petersen played 33 AHL games and finished with a 13-16-2 record, a 2.73 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

The Iowa season was Petersen’s seventh year playing in the AHL. He has appeared in 248 career AHL contests, while his recent AHL experience also includes 59 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms across two seasons, during which he recorded a .894 save percentage.

Petersen brings 106 NHL appearances, including 98 starts, to the Capitals. His NHL career has included 101 games with the Los Angeles Kings and five with the Philadelphia Flyers. He owns a 46-44-10 career record, a 2.96 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

His most recent NHL action came with the Flyers during the 2023-24 season. Petersen appeared in five games, making four starts, and recorded a 2-2-0 record with a 3.90 GAA and .864 save percentage. His best NHL season came with the Kings in 2020-21, when he played 35 games and registered a .911 save percentage. In 2021-22, he posted a 20-14-2 record in 37 appearances and had a 2.89 GAA.

Washington already has Logan Thompson under contract through 2031 and Charlie Lindgren signed through 2028. Clay Stevenson is expected to handle the starting job for the AHL’s Hershey Bears after logging 18 wins and a .912 save percentage in 37 games last season. Petersen will therefore compete for organizational depth alongside Mitchell Gibson, who spent part of 2025-26 in the ECHL.

The Capitals preseason begin September 20 against the Boston Bruins.

The post Capitals sign former Wild goalie to professional tryout agreement appeared first on ClutchPoints.