On Monday afternoon, the Washington Capitals announced that goaltender Clay Stevenson cleared waivers and will return to the AHL’s Hershey
On Monday afternoon, the Washington Capitals announced that goaltender Clay Stevenson cleared waivers and will return to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He was originally placed on waivers alongside forward Ethen Frank the day before.
Clay Stevenson Stays in Hershey Despite Other Teams Drawing Interest
This is huge news for the Capitals considering how much Stevenson means to the organization. The 26-year-old goaltender recently made the rounds for other NHL teams expressing interest in him. An impressive training camp will do that for you.
Back on Sept. 25, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted that “a few teams” had their eyes on him as a potential waiver claim.
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. #ALLCAPSpic.twitter.com/7QT4djdyr7
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) September 25, 2025
Also in September, hockey insider Elliotte Friedman said on his “32 Thoughts” podcast that the New York Rangers were interested in Stevenson. Besides the Rangers, Friedman also pointed out the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers.
“Of course, the Capitals have Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, who were excellent for them last year. But Clay Stevenson is an interesting player,” said Friedman. “Last year, his minors salary was two ways; the next two years, it’s $775k, and I bet you the Capitals are kinda hoping that maybe scare some teams off, but I’m not convinced it will. I’ll say this: When Clay Stevenson signed with Washington out of college, another team that really liked him was the Rangers. The Rangers were disappointed that he didn’t sign there.”
Pro Hockey Rumors reported that the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights could be of interest of the goaltender. But those rumors turned out to be false.
Nevertheless, the Capitals are sticking with their two-man goalie tandem of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. As a result, Stevenson will return as Hershey’s No. 1 netminder this season.
Clay Stevenson’s Capitals/Bears Career
Stevenson signed his first contract with Washington at age 23 in 2022. Then in December 2023, the goalie signed an extension at three years, $2.33 million. He previously spent two years as a backup to Hunter Shepard, who left the club for the Ottawa Senators this past summer.
Stevenson had an impressive 2024-25 regular season with the Bears. He went 18-8-4 and posted a 2.94 goals-against average, a .888 save percentage, and two shutouts in 33 appearances. The netminder fared even better in 2023-24 for Hershey, going 24-10-2 with a 2.06 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and seven shutouts.
Stevenson eventually made his NHL debut with the Capitals on the last day of the 2024-25 regular season. Despite Washington losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2, head coach Spencer Carbery said he was impressed with Stevenson. The goaltender then returned to the Bears where he earned his first AHL playoff victory against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
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