The Washington Capitals, the National Hockey League affiliate of the Hershey Bears, have recalled goaltender Mitch Gibson from Hershey. The announcement was made by Washington senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick.
Gibson, 26, has appeared in 22 games with Hershey this season, recording a 9-8-3 record with a 2.79 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and one shutout. After entering this season with a 3-0-0 lifetime AHL record, Gibson won his first three starts with Hershey in 2025-26, becoming the first goaltender in team history to begin their Bears tenure with six consecutive wins. He recorded his first AHL shutout on Dec. 13 in a 36-save effort versus Charlotte. Gibson began the campaign on an AHL contract with the Bears before signing a two-year NHL contract with Washington that runs through the 2026-27 season on Feb. 17.
Additionally, the Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native has gone 8-5-0 in 13 games with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays this season, posting a 2.32 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage to go along with one shutout. He was the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the period of Nov. 3-9.
In 2024-25, Gibson appeared in one game with Hershey, stopping 26 shots to earn a win at Springfield on Oct. 26. The 6'2", 204-pound netminder spent the majority of the season with the Stingrays, going 12-1-0 in 14 games for South Carolina, recording a 1.75 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in an injury-shortened season. Gibson ranked first in the ECHL in goals-against average and second in save percentage among goaltenders with at least 10 games played.
As a rookie in 2023-24, Gibson made his AHL debut on Oct. 22, 2023, stopping 21 shots in a win at Bridgeport, and went 2-0-0 for Hershey. He served as Hershey's third goaltender during the team's run to the 2024 Calder Cup title. With the Stingrays that season, Gibson went 22-14-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average, an .899 save percentage, and three shutouts. Gibson's 2.56 goals-against average ranked third among ECHL goaltenders with 40 or more games played. He was credited with a goal in the Stingrays' win over Savannah on Dec. 1, 2023, becoming the 16th goaltender in ECHL history to score.
Gibson was selected in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Capitals.
The Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, April 11 at 4 p.m. at Bojangles Coliseum. Hershey returns home to host the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Racing Night and Toyota License Plate Night, featuring a Bears license plate giveaway to the first 6,000 fans in attendance, courtesy of Toyota. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.
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