Clay Stevenson: 2024 Annual Review and Forecast


We continue our Washington Capitals annual prospect review and forecast series with Clay Stevenson, goaltender for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). (You can access all our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page in the top menu or right here.)

VITALS

Stevenson, 25, is a 6’-4” left-handed netminder from Drayton Valley, Alberta. The Capitals inked the undrafted free agent to a two-year, entry-level deal for $855,000 average annual value on March 28, 2022 and was re-signed for a three-year deal on December 22, 2023.

CAREER SUMMARY

Stevenson played three seasons with the Coquitlam Express in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). In his third and final season in 2019-20, Stevenson finished with a 30-2-2 record, four shutouts, a 1.77 goals-against average, and a .936 save percentage. He led the team to the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy, presented to the BCHL’s regular season champion.

Stevenson was named a BCHL First Team All-Star, was honored as the BCHL’s Top Goaltender after finishing with the BCHL’s top goals-against average and top save percentage, and was given the Wally Forslund Trophy, presented to the BCHL’s top goaltending duo.

In 85 games with Coquitlam, Stevenson finished with a 48-29-3 record with six shutouts, a 2.82 goals-against average, and a .906 save percentage.

“I think the biggest change that year was my mental maturity,” Stevenson said of his stint with the BCHL. “I was a lot more confident in myself day-to-day and I started to take the games one at a time instead of worrying about the bigger picture.”

Stevenson posted a record of 6-14-2, with two shutouts, a 2.70 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in his sophomore season at Dartmouth College of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). He posted a save percentage above .900 in all 23 games and his .922 save percentage was tied for second in the ECAC. Stevenson was named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team and the ECAC Third All-Star Team. Stevenson did not play for Dartmouth during his freshman season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Capitals signed Stevenson to a two-year entry-level deal for $855,000 average annual value on March 28, 2022. Stevenson went undrafted, as he was a “late-bloomer”. It wasn’t until his breakout 2019-2020 season with the Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League that he began to believe he could make the NHL. As a result, several teams were hoping to sign Stevenson.

“The biggest factor in my decision-making was where I had the most opportunity to develop,” Stevenson said. “I ultimately made the decision to go to Washington because their track record shows that they build within their organization.”

After the Covid-cancelled 2020-21 season, Stevenson remained committed to becoming an elite goaltender. “My conversation with Clay when we first met was, ‘My job is to make you a good college goalie, but my ultimate goal is to make you an elite NHL goalie,’” Dartmouth goaltending coach Jason Tapp said. “That’s what we’re always trying to build towards.”

Despite not having games to play in 2020, Stevenson said that he dedicated himself to maximizing his own development for the following season.

“The [COVID-19] year was a challenge just because of all the rules, we couldn’t work on things like screens and tips, but Clay’s work ethic is at the top of our team,” Tapp said. “He was diligent, never missed goalie ices and we watched video every Monday night for an hour or two.”

Stevenson’s teammate and backup goalie Troy Burkhart ’23 echoed Tapp’s sentiments about his elite mentality.

“His mindset going into every drill seemed to be that he was going to stop every single puck, no matter what,” Burkhart said. “By going 110% he also caused his teammates to improve alongside him.”

Stevenson never lacked for talent, Burkhart said. Standing at 6’4, he has an explosive quickness between the pipes that makes scouts drool.

“He can get from one side of the net to the other in an instant and he is able to anticipate where the puck is going on any pass or shot,” Burkhart said. “He has a special combination of great predictions and great athleticism.”

Before signing with the Capitals, Stevenson met with both the Capitals and New York Rangers, while also drawing interest from the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken. Stevenson signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) to join the Hershey Bears for the end of the season but did not see any game action.

“During my recruiting process I knew I had to be going to a place that I had an opportunity to develop and grow my game,” Stevenson told NoVa Caps. “The people in Washington’s organization showed me a developmental philosophy that I trusted and thought I could really build my game to the next level with,” said Stevenson.

“I would say the three major factors in the process were; opportunity, development, and people.”

Danny Brooks, the Capitals Director of Player Recruitment, has done an incredible job in finding undrafted “diamonds in the rough”, so to speak. Just consider players like Joe Snively and Bobby Nardella, who also went undrafted and were successfully recruited by Brooks, and you can see that Brooks is good at what he does.

“Danny Brooks is a great recruiter and coach,” said Stevenson. “He has an incredible view on life and is a great person to know and talk to. He is also a good guy to have in your corner.”

Stevenson participated in the Capitals annual development camp in July of 2022, and also returned for Capitals 2022 rookie camp and Capitals main training camp in September of 2022.

Stevenson spent most of the 2022-23 season with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL, going 19-12-3-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 36 appearances. In the postseason, Stevenson went 2-1-2 with a 2.11 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Stevenson also appeared in three games with the Hershey Bears, going 3-0-0 with a 1.96 GAA and a .924 save percentage.

Stevenson spent the 2023-24 season with the Hershey Bears where he played 36 games during the regular season and posted a record of 24-10-2-7. His goals against was 2.06 and his save percentage was .922. He ranked second in the league in goal against, only behind his teammate, Hunter Shepard, and third in the lead in save percentage, only behind Shepard and Yaroslav Askarov. He and fellow Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard won the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award that gets awarded to the goaltenders on the team allowing the fewest goals per game.

During the postseason, he appeared in two games in relief of Hunter Shepard, once against the Cleveland Monsters and once against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. He posted a goals-against average of 1.87 and a save percentage of .900.

2023-2024 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS

The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Clay Stevenson for the 2023-2024 season. You can find all our monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

OCTOBER

The beginning of the 2023-24 season proved to be a bit of a whirlwind for Stevenson. It began with the Dartmouth College product serving as Charlie Lindgren’s backup for the Washington Capitals in their season opener on October 14. He quickly returned to Hershey to start the first two games for the Bears. Then, Stevenson went back up to the Capitals after Lindgren was injured. He spent a week in that role before swapping places with Hunter Shepard. Stevenson started four games for Hershey in the season’s first month. The native of Drayton Valley, Alberta gave up two goals while making 17 saves in a 3-0 loss to Belleville in the season opener on October 14. He bounced back to earn his first win of the season the next day against Cleveland.  His next start came 10 days later in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and it was Stevenson’s worst outing of the campaign. He surrendered five goals on 25 shots. While the netminder was not to blame for all of the goals in a poor effort team wide, Stevenson did struggle holding on to pucks and left rebounds out in prime scoring areas. To his credit, the Albertan responded with his best game of the season in his next start versus Lehigh Valley on October 28. With the Bears up 1-0 late in the first, Stevenson came across the crease and denied a wide open Ronnie Attard’s attempt with his glove to keep his team in the lead. The Phantoms bombarded Stevenson over the last two frames, firing 29 shots on goal. The netminder stood tall and stopped everything sent his way to record his first AHL shutout. Thus far, Stevenson has a record of 2-2 with a .907 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.25.

NOVEMBER

Stevenson has been a revelation. He got the call in net five times in November and was victorious in four. In his four wins, the Dartmouth College product did not give up more than a goal. In his first start of the month on November 4, Stevenson stopped nine of 10 shots in the first period against Bridgeport. He kept his team in the game as the chocolate and white struggled to muster any offense in the opening stanza. He shut the door the rest of the way, making 26 saves and being named the game’s number two star.

The rookie netminder earned his second shutout of the season his next time out, a 24-save whitewash in Lehigh Valley. A day later, Lehigh Valley extracted a little revenge by beating Stevenson and the Bears 4-1 in Hershey. After that loss, the Drayton Valley, Alberta native’s performance was stellar. He recorded his second shutout in three starts in Bridgeport on November 18. The 26-save clean sheet earned him number one star of the game honors. Stevenson best start of the season, and possibly his professional career, came on November 26 versus the Iowa Wild. The Albertan made 13 high end saves. Stevenson’s best sequence on a night of great saves came with 3:03 remaining in the second period. Adam Raska tried to jam the puck by the netminder from the left side, but he held his position and stonewalled Raska a right pad save. Raska collected the puck and tried to slide the puck low to the glove side, but the left pad of Stevenson denied that attempt as well. The danger was not over as the puck came out to Mike O’Leary all alone in front. This is where Stevenson produced a save of the year candidate. Sprawled on his stomach, he raised his arm and batted O’Leary shot aside with his glove. Stevenson made 18 saves in the middle period and added five more in the third. He finished with 27 saves and was deservedly named the game’s number one star. Stevenson finished November tied for the AHL lead in shutouts with three and was second in the league with a goals against average of 1.67.

DECEMBER

Stevenson’s stellar campaign continued in December. He prevailed in six of his seven starts in the month and that was with the netminder missing a week due to illness. The Dartmouth College product turned aside 11 shots in the first period in Charlotte on December 1 and allowed the Bears to lead 2-0 after 20 minutes despite being outshot 11 to 5. He ended the night with 27 saves in a 4-2 Hershey win. One night later, Stevenson stopped 26 shots in the final two periods and ended with a then-season-high 34 saves in another victory. He made 21 saves in his next start against Cleveland and earned his fourth shutout of the season. Stevenson’s best outing came in the last game of the calendar year on December 30 in Lehigh Valley versus the Phantoms. The Bears were slow at the start and did not register a shot until there was 6:07 remaining in the first period. After outshooting Hershey 9 to 4 in the first, the Phantoms recorded the first eight shots in the second period. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native kept the game scoreless and permitted the Bears to take an unlikely lead after Lucas Johansen netted a fluky goal. Stevenson had 22 saves through 40 minutes and then stopped 15 more in the third period to earn his fifth shutout in a 4-0 Hershey triumph. The Bears won despite being outshot 37 to 17 due to the play of Stevenson. The netminder finished the month with a 1.73 goals against average and .942 save percentage in seven starts. He went 6-1 with two shutouts. For his performance, Stevenson was named the AHL’s Goaltender of the Month.

JANUARY

The Drayton Valley, Alberta native went 4-1-0-1 in six starts in January. Stevenson surrendered four goals in a game for the first time since November 12 in a 5-3 loss to Hartford on January 6. To be fair, the goals were not all on Stevenson as the Bears struggled with turnovers and had a hard time getting the puck out of their own zone. The Dartmouth College product bounced back in his next start, giving up a single tally in Bridgeport on January 15, but falling in a shootout. Stevenson made history in his next outing on January 20.

Hershey did not have lot of energy after playing in Hartford the night before and were not generating a lot of offense. The netminder stood tall, especially in the final two periods where the Bears were outshot 21-12. His best sequence came nine seconds into the third with the chocolate and white holding a 1-0 advantage. Hershey turned the puck over and a defensemen went down and this permitted Sam Poulin to come in all alone. Stevenson denied Poulin’s shot with a glove save and then got his left bad on Poulin’s rebound bid. In the end, Hershey won 1-0 and the Albertan had his sixth shutout of the season. The clean sheet moved Stevenson ahead of Vitek Vanecek and Ron Hextall for the most shutouts by a rookie goaltender in franchise history. The six shoutouts are also the most in the AHL. The December AHL Goaltender of the Month leads the league with a 1.67 goals against average. Stevenson’s .938 save percentage is also the best in the AHL and he sits in a fifth-place tie with 16 wins. The rookie was chosen as an AHL All-Star.

FEBRUARY

The month could not have gotten to a worse start for Stevenson. He gave up three goals in a span of two minutes and 53 seconds in the third period in a 4-1 loss in Lehigh Valley on February 2. In his next start in Springfield on February 10, the Dartmouth College product surrendered five goals on 23 shots in a 6-3 loss to the Thunderbirds. It marked the first time Stevenson had lost back-to-back starts in regulation this season and was just the second time he was winless in two starts. He bounced back to earn the victory in his start, making 19 saves in a 4-2 Hershey triumph in Belleville on February 19. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native delivered his best start of the month in his last outing . He stopped 24 of the 25 shots he saw in a 2-1 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The only goal against him was netted on a shorthanded breakaway. The rookie netminder continues to lead the AHL with a 1.84 goals-against average. Stevenson’s .932 save percentage is also first in the league. Through February, Stevenson has a league-best six shutouts and ranks sixth in the AHL in wins with 18.

MARCH

Stevenson’s March was a bit of a mixed bag. He began the month by earning his seventh shutout of the season in a 1-0 shootout loss to Lehigh Valley. The clean sheet tied a franchise record for most shutouts in a season. In his next start, the Dartmouth College product was the victim of a poor defensive second period by the Bears and dropped a 4-3 decision. Stevenson rebounded with a three-game winning streak. He made 24 saves against Charlotte a night later, including 10 in a third period in which Hershey mustered a single shot, in a 3-2 victory. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native followed up by allowing one goal in a 4-1 triumph over Syracuse on March 16. The final win of the streak came in Cleveland on March 23 with Stevenson’s stopping 22 shots in a 6-3 victory. The Albertan’s last start did not go well, as he lost 4-1 to Providence on March 26. It was an overall poor effort for the chocolate and white and Stevenson could really only be faulted on one of the goals. The netminder still ranks among the league’s best. His 1.97 goals against average is second only to teammate Hunter Shepard in the AHL. He also ranks second (again behind Shepard) in the league with a .925 save percentage. Stevenson has recorded an AHL-best seven shutouts.

APRIL

Stevenson had mixed results in April. He played in four games and posted a winning record of 3-1. On April 5, he was the winning goaltender in a 7-2 win against the Iowa Wild. He made 20 saves out of 22 shots. He had his best game of the month on April 6, when they beat the Wild 3-2 in a shootout. He made 24 saves out of 26 shots.  On April 13, he was the losing goaltender in a 4-1 loss against Wilkes-Barre which was not a good game for Hershey in general. He had 26 saves in 30 shots. His last start of the month (and for the season) was on April 17 where the Bears beat the Charlotte Checkers 4-3. Stevenson made 27 saves out of 20 shots.

Stevenson ended up playing 36 games during the regular season where he posted a record of 24-10-2-7. His goals against was 2.0-6 and his save percentage was .922. He ranked second in the league in goal against, only behind his teammate, Hunter Shepard, and third in the lead in save percentage, only behind Shepard and Yaroslav Askarov. He and Hunter Shepard  won the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award that gets awarded to the goaltenders on the team allowing the fewest goals per game.

POSTSEASON

He appeared in two postseason games in relief of Hunter Shepard, once against the Cleveland Monsters and once against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

PLAYER FORECAST

Stevenson will likely spend most of 2024-25 in Hershey but will likely occasionally get called up to the Capitals.

By Diane Doyle

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By Diane Doyle

 

 

 

 





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