The Washington Capitals may be in danger of losing their third-string netminder before the regular season even begins.
According to a report from former NHL goaltender and NHL insider Kevin Weekes, a “few teams” could be waiting to pounce on the Capitals’ Clay Stevenson with a waiver claim. Stevenson is set to be the Hershey Bears’ starter in the AHL this season, but will need to be placed on waivers to get to Hershey at the outset of the year.
“I’m told @Capitals G Clay Stevenson has impressed in training camp, and a few teams have eyes on him as a potential waiver claim,” Weekes tweeted Thursday night.
Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren have a firm stranglehold on the top two spots with the Capitals, so unless the team decides to carry three goaltenders to begin the season, Stevenson will have to pass through waivers on his way to the Bears later this fall.
Stevenson was signed to his first contract with the Capitals at age 23, giving him three seasons of waivers-exempt status that expired at the end of last season.
Capitals players who must be put on waivers if they do not make NHL roster out of training camp
Stevenson made his NHL debut in the Capitals’ final 2024-25 regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, impressing head coach Spencer Carbery despite taking a 5-2 loss. He was sent back to Hershey soon after, earning his first career AHL playoff victory in the Atlantic Division Semifinals against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
During the regular season for the Bears, 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. Stevenson’s best year in pro hockey came during the 2023-24 campaign, when he went 24-10-2 for the Bears with a 2.06 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and seven shutouts.
“Clay needs a chance here,” Capitals GM Chris Patrick said in July. “He’s kinda been behind Shep (Hunter Shepard) for most of his pro career, so he needs a chance to really be the guy and show that he can do it and carry the heavy workload. So I think he’s in the right spot in his development plan for that.”
Stevenson was named an AHL All-Star in 2024 and, alongside Shepard, took home the Hap Holmes Memorial Award, which is a trophy awarded annually to the goaltenders on the AHL team with the lowest goals-against average, and who have appeared in at least 25 regular-season games.
If the Capitals do lose Stevenson on waivers, an already young Bears team will need to turn to the inexperienced Garin Bjorklund and Mitch Gibson as their goaltending duo.
Bjorklund went 21-4-3 in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays last year, posting a 2.02 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and one shutout. Gibson went 12-1 in his ECHL starts with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. The two goalies have played five career AHL games combined.
