The Hershey Bears just received two huge additions to thier team.
Clay Stevenson and Ethen Frank both cleared NHL waivers on Monday and have been assigned to the Bears ahead of their regular-season opener against the Syracuse Crunch on October 11. They’ll be joined by Ivan Miroshnichenko, who was loaned to Hershey shortly before the waiver news.
Stevenson made one appearance for the Washington Capitals during the preseason, stopping 15 of 16 shots faced in the team’s 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Hershey. The 26-year-old backstop made it through waivers without a claim despite reported interest from multiple NHL teams.
Two other goalies, Colten Ellis and Cayden Primeau, were claimed by the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively, while netminder Brandon Bussi was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
Stevenson returns to a Bears team where he will be the number-one netminder and first recall to the Capitals if ever Logan Thompson or Charlie Lindgren are unavailable. During the 2024-25 season in Hershey, he posted an 18-8-4 record with a 2.94 goals-against average, an .888 save percentage, and two shutouts in 33 appearances.
The Alberta native made his NHL debut last year, taking a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stevenson has two seasons remaining on the three-year contract he signed with the Capitals in December of 2023.
Frank, 27, played in four preseason games for the Capitals, failing to score a goal but recording two assists. He made his NHL debut last season and got into 24 total games by the end of the year, tallying seven points (4g, 3a).
Frank was Hershey’s leading goal scorer with 20 goals in 35 games last season before being recalled to the Capitals. He has been named an AHL All-Star three times, winning the fastest skater competition in the league’s skills competition both times he participated.
Frank won back-to-back Calder Cups with the Bears in 2023 and 2024. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Hershey began their training camp under new head coach Derek King last weekend and played their final game of the AHL preseason on Sunday.
