‘Grubi’ and Young Goalies of Pacific Northwest

Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer returned to Seattle in late July to focus on his preparations for the sixth and final year of a contract signed in summer 2021 ahead of the team’s inaugural season. Last Saturday, he took a break from his usual summer preparations for the hockey year ahead to get on the ice with 50 youth level goalies attending a day camp devoted solely to the position at Kraken Community Iceplex.

“It was a full range of ages, the youngest were five and six years old ranging up to 18 and 19 years old,” said Grubauer after a recent on-ice work and treatments. “It was great to get out there. The range of kids and skill levels started with young kids who just started playing the position a month ago, trying it out, to older goalies super-aware about how they can get better at the position.”

Grubauer said he is happy to attend the goaltenders-only clinic during summers, pitching in to support Kraken Junior Hockey goaltending development and learn-to-play coordinator Julia Takatsuka. The Kraken goaltender said he is paying it forward after being mentored by German pro league goalies back is his own youth hockey days in Bavaria. For her part, Takatsuka said having Grubauer out on the ice during the Saturday morning session is a highlight every summer for young goalies.

“We had four different states represented this week plus British Columbia,” said Takatsuka. “Most of the Washington state associations were here and not just the kids from our youth hockey organization but kids from all over greater Seattle and across the state. One fun example is there’s an entire crew from Moses Lake that has grown each year.”

The widespread attendance is a testament to Takatsuka and the Kraken organization encouraging youth hockey participation beyond the Kraken Community Iceplex plus growing the game on the girls side. This summer’s goalie clinic included 10 girls, and Takatsuka said the number is bound to increase geometrically given the number taking up goaltending at younger agesfive through 10.

For his part, Grubauer enjoys seeing returnees who have “improved in areas for which we coached those young goalies last summer.” The first summer goalie clinic featured 32 goaltenders in the summer of 2023.

“We had eight different stations to help the kids focus on getting better in certain areas,” said Grubauer, who was hands-on at the clinic, flowing between and among stations.

The Kraken veteran and Stanley Cup winner with the Washington Capitals in 2019 pointed out: “We always start with the basic skating skills of the position. We want to make sure those movements [in the crease and around the goal area] are correct before we get in the net and face shots. For instance, we do a lot of teaching about skating and body control. You want to move your body as one unit instead of being all over the place with your hand and legs. We didn’t change that drill based on skill level, right? It is a fundamental part of playing the position."

Extra Practice Makes Perfect

Takatsuka said Kraken girls youth hockey teams now have at least one goaltender and two in many cases. She anticipates filling out those rosters in the hockey year ahead. Devoting 90 minutes to on-ice drills plus dryland training last Saturday was a genuine boost for young girls learning the position.

“A number of the techniques are somewhat foreign to certain kids,” said Takatsuka. “It takes a lot of reps to really start to understand how the position all works and how it fits together, then how to use it in different contexts of the game.  Having a 90-minute session versus maybe the 15 minutes you might get during a team practice. [The summer clinic] allows for an actual beginning of understanding of the position rather than, ‘Oh, we maybe heard about that and tried it once’ kind of thing.”

Having Grubauer on the ice was no doubt a highlight for goalies in attendance. The Seattle fan favorite, who enjoyed a solid 2025-26 season said the feeling of enjoyment is mutual.

“I was going through the stations and took a peek at one guy or two, then moved to the next station and watched another three, four goalies,” said Grubauer. “I tried to help the goalies out with a bunch of ideas and tips. Every kid has a different thing they would need to improve on.”

Working in groups by age, the goalies benefitted from both on-ice drills with Grubauer and the coaching staff but additionally participated in off-ice or “dryland” drills and talks that provide more markers to improve their games in the crease and in their minds and bodies.

“We had opportunities to do off ice training,” said Takatsuka. “We showed the group different activities or exercises for the training and season ahead that maybe they haven't seen before. We talk about different actions and habits, such taking care of your body, physical [including proper pre- and post-game approaches], eating right or working on mental skills. All of those factor into how a goalie gets better ... it’s been rewarding to see some returning kids clearly improved in skills and techniques they learned in past summers.”

Grubauer Enters Final Year of Contract 

True to form, the “German Gentleman” returned from his homeland in mid-July to get a jump on the season ahead. The 34-year-old puts in significant hours on and off the ice at Kraken Community Iceplex each summer, showing up six to eight weeks earlier than teammates young and older. He is taking it one day, one game, one week at a time as he enters the final year of a contract he signed as a free agent before the Kraken’s first NHL season.

“For sure, I would love to play another year or two,” said Grubauer, referring to the potential to play beyond his coming 13th full NHL season. “But if after this is the end of my NHL career, then I can't change it. I'm going to compete, give my best to help the team to win games and collect those points we need during the season to make the playoffs. Then I think everything else takes care of itself. I'm pretty sure if I have a good year, I find another contract somewhere.”