Capitals Sign Calvin Petersen To Professional Tryout Agreement

Goaltender Calvin Petersen will join the Washington Capitals at training camp on a professional tryout agreement per a team announcement. A veteran of seven NHL seasons, Petersen has spent the last two years in a full-time, AHL role. That deployment has stretched across contracts with the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Wild. Now, Petersen could join a Capitals organization with a crowded goaltending room.

Washington is locked in to starter Logan Thompson, who is signed through 2031, and backup Charlie Lindgren, who is signed through 2028. The Capitals are also set to roll out Clay Stevenson as the starter of the AHL’s Hershey Bears, after Stevenson notched 18 wins and a .912 save percentage in 37 games last season. That pecking order would place Petersen in competition with Mitchell Gibson, who spent half of the 2025-26 season in the ECHL, for the backup role behind Stevenson.

The veteran Petersen should have the advantage in any competition for an AHL role. He posted a .896 save percentage in 33 games with the Iowa Wild in the 2025-26 season and managed a .894 save percentage in 59 games, across two seasons, with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. More than those performances, Petersen boasts 106 games of NHL experience – broken up as 101 games with the Los Angeles Kings and five games with the Philadelphia Flyers. He totaled 46 wins and a .903 save percentage across his NHL career.

Adding Petersen into the fold would give Washington four goalies capable of filling an NHL crease, if the situation called for it. That could be invaluable depth, though Washington hasn’t faced many run-ins with goalie injuries as of late. Petersen will need to show the value of adding another experienced hand, rather than leaning on the unproven Gibson, if he wants to turn his PTO into a contract for the 2026-27 season.