The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Gustavs Grigals to a one-year contract worth $775,000 to finish out the 2023-24 season.
The move gives the Predators some extra signed goaltending depth, with Grigals expected to remain with one of the team’s two minor league squads.
Grigals, 25, was already part of the Predators’ system, having played one game with the Milwaukee Admirals and 26 games with the Atlanta Gladiators. In 26 ECHL contests, Grigals is 7-15-0 with one shutout and a .898 save percentage. He lost his lone AHL start, stopping 22 of 26 shots in a 4-3 loss on Dec. 31.
Prior to turning pro, Grigals spent five years in the NCAA, including four with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and one with UMass-Lowell. Grigals had a 37-35-8 record in 85 contests, highlighted by a 12-9-2 record with a .924 save percentage at UMass last season before turning pro.
Internationally, the Latvian-born goaltender was one of Latvia’s goaltenders at the 2017 World Juniors, posting a .774 save percentage in parts of three games. He had a much better showing in Division IA the following year, going 4-1-0 with a .960 save percentage en route to a silver medal.
It was a busy day on the signing front for the Preds, who also inked Mark Jankowski and Dante Fabbro to extensions. Nashville currently has five goaltenders under contract, including NHLers Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen, as well as AHLers Yaroslav Askarov and Troy Grosenick.
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