The Washington Capitals made a goaltending swap on Thursday afternoon.
The Caps recalled Mitchell Gibson from the Hershey Bears and sent Clay Stevenson back down to the AHL.
Stevenson had been with the Capitals since April 14, when the club recalled him from the Bears and sent Hunter Shepard in the other direction. The 26-year-old netminder made his NHL debut in the team’s final regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, impressing head coach Spencer Carbery despite taking a 5-2 loss.
The Capitals were forced to dip into their goaltending depth in Hershey at the beginning of April due to Logan Thompson suffering an upper-body injury on April 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. With Thompson and Charlie Lindgren both now healthy, Stevenson had been reduced to third-string duties during the Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Bears started their 2025 postseason on Wednesday night, getting a 3-0 shutout from Shepard over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Gibson backed Shepard up in the victory but will now swap spots with Stevenson to serve as the Capitals’ third goalie.
Gibson played the same role with the Caps during their short first-round series with the New York Rangers last year. The 25-year-old former fourth-round pick spent most of this season with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, posting a 12-1-o record with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
Stevenson had an 18-8-4 record along with a 2.94 goals-against average, an .888 save percentage, and two shutouts in 33 appearances for the Bears this season. He served as Shepard’s backup during last year’s successful run to a second straight Calder Cup, appearing in two games.
Here’s the full press release from the Washington Capitals:
Capitals Recall Mitchell Gibson
Clay Stevenson loaned to Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. In addition, the Capitals have loaned goaltender Clay Stevenson to Hershey.
Gibson, 25, won his only appearance with Hershey this season, stopping 26 of 28 shots faced in a 6-2 win at Springfield on Oct. 26, 2024. In 14 games with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), Gibson posted a record of 12-1-0 with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. The 6’1”, 207-pound goaltender also appeared in four Kelly Cup Playoff games with South Carolina, recording a 3.40 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage.
During the 2023-24 season, Gibson played 42 games with South Carolina, posting a 22-14-3 record with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage and three shutouts. Gibson’s 2.56 goals-against average ranked third among ECHL goaltenders with 40 or more games played. The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native also appeared in two games with Hershey, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. In three career AHL games with Hershey, Gibson is 3-0-0 with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Gibson played collegiately at Harvard University (NCAA), where he posted a record of 47-25-6 with six shutouts, a 2.32 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 80 games played over three seasons. Gibson was drafted by Washington in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Stevenson, 26, made his NHL debut on April 17 at Pittsburgh, making 33 saves. The 6’4”, 195-pound goaltender has posted an 18-8-4 record with a 2.94 goals-against average, an .888 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games with Hershey this season.
