Capitals sign Cal Petersen to PTO

Petersen, 31, will join Washington for their training camp and preseason with the hopes of earning a contract for the 2026-27 season.

The Waterloo, Iowa native spent all of last season with the Minnesota Wild‘s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Iowa Wild, where he made 33 appearances and put up a 13-16-2 record with a .896 save percentage and a 2.73 goals-against average.

Petersen was initially selected by the Buffalo Sabres out of the USHL in the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After a strong three-year collegiate career with Notre Dame, in which he was named the team’s most valuable player in 2016 and was twice a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men’s hockey, Petersen signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Los Angeles Kings in May of 2017 after failing to agree to terms with the Sabres.

Over six season in the Kings’ organization, Petersen made 94 NHL starts and 101 appearances, sporting a 44-42-10 record with a .905 SV% and a 2.92 GAA. His biggest workoad came in the 2021-22 season, when he went 20-14-2 in 35 starts and 37 appearances with a .895 SV% and a 2.89 GAA.

In June of 2023, Petersen was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Columbus Blue Jackets. Petersen made just four starts and five appearances for the Flyers in the 2023-24 season, going 2-2-0 with a .864 SV% and a 3.90 GAA in what stands as his most recent NHL action.

Washington’s preseason begins on September 20 against the Boston Bruins, and their regular season will start on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 2.