The Washington Capitals recalled goaltender Clay Stevenson from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Thursday morning.
Stevenson joins the team for the last leg of their six-game road trip in Detroit against the Red Wings. His arrival is likely on an emergency loan basis as the Capitals were already carrying a full complement of 23 active players.
According to the Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson, Stevenson and Charlie Lindgren were the only goaltenders on the ice for the team’s morning skate. Logan Thompson was absent after giving up five goals to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Stevenson arrives with the Capitals after making 27 saves in a 3-1 win over the Rochester Americans on Wednesday night. Overall, this season, the 26-year-old backstop is 11-8-3 for the Bears with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
With Stevenson’s departure leaving a hole on the depth chart in Hershey, the Bears made a corresponding move and recalled Mitch Gibson from the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays.
Thompson played the full game in Seattle, and the Capitals were off on Wednesday. The team has not yet updated Thompson’s status or availability for Thursday night’s contest against the Red Wings.
Here’s the full press release on Stevenson’s recall from the Capitals:
Capitals Recall Clay Stevenson
Goaltender has .912 save percentage and 2.57 GAA in 24 games with Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Clay Stevenson from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Stevenson, 26, has an 11-8-3 record with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage in 24 games with Hershey this season. The 6’5”, 196-pound goaltender ranks seventh in the AHL in saves and tied for ninth in save percentage and games played. In his last start on Jan. 28 at Rochester, Stevenson stopped 27 of 28 shots faced in a 3-1 Bears win.
Stevenson 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 in 2024-25. Stevenson also made his NHL debut on April 17, 2025 at Pittsburgh, making 33 saves in the Capitals’ regular-season finale. In his lone start of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs on May 9, Stevenson stopped 28 of 32 shots faced in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals at Lehigh Valley to help the Bears stave off elimination.
As a rookie in 2023-24, Stevenson had a 24-10-2 record with a 2.06 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage and seven shutouts in 36 games with Hershey. Stevenson’s seven shutouts led the AHL and tied the Bears’ single-season shutout record. Stevenson, who represented Hershey at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, ranked second in the AHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage. Stevenson and goaltending partner Hunter Shepard were the recipients of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, presented to the goaltending duo that allows the fewest goals per game during the AHL’s regular season. Stevenson also appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games, stopping nine of 10 shots against.
Stevenson has a 56-26-9 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 96 career AHL games with Hershey.
