| Clay Stevenson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Stevenson with theHershey Bears in 2024 | |||
| Born | (1999-03-03)March 3, 1999 (age 26) Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team | Washington Capitals Hershey Bears (AHL) | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Clay Stevenson (born March 3, 1999) is a Canadianice hockey goaltender currently playing with theHershey Bears in theAHL while under contract to theWashington Capitals of theNHL. After a 30-win season with theBCHL'sCoquitlam Express, Stevenson attendedDartmouth College, where, in his sophomore season, he was named to the All-Ivy First Team and as Dartmouth's team MVP. He then signed with theWashington Capitals and debuted for theirECHL associate, theSouth Carolina Stingrays, in 2022. The following season, he debuted with the Bears; that season, he recorded an AHL-leading and franchise rookie record 7 shutouts, appeared at the 2024AHL All-Star Classic, was named Goaltender of the Month in December, and was a co-recipient of theHarry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award.
Stevenson was born on March 3, 1999, inDrayton Valley, Alberta.[1] He has one older and one younger sister.[2] His parents separated when he was young; he moved toChilliwack, British Columbia, with his mother, aparamedic named Holly Stevenson, when he was 16.[2] After years of mental health struggles, Holly committed suicide in September 2019. Stevenson credited his mother for supporting his hockey career and pushing him to train as a child, calling her his inspiration to play in the NHL.[2][3] On hisgoalie mask, he has his nickname, "Mud", on the front, and aStar of Life on the back as an homage to his mother.[4]
Stevenson played U15 hockey for the Brazeau Parkland Selects before moving to theKIJHL and playing for the100 Mile House Wranglers. In 25 games with the Wranglers, he posted a 3.12goals against average (GAA) and a .907save percentage (SV%).[1] He played in the KIJHL's Top Prospect's Game.[5]
For the2017–18 season, Stevenson moved to theBCHL, where he played three seasons with theCoquitlam Express. In his first season, he won just 4 games and lost 16 while recording a 3.89 GAA and a .885 SV%. In the2018–19 season, he improved his record to 14–11 and lowered his GAA to 3.36.[1] Stevenson had a breakout season in2019–20, posting a record of 30–2 and leading the Express to the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy, the BCHL's regular season championship. He led the league in GAA with 1.77 and SV% with .936. He was also named a First Team All-Star, Top Goaltender, and one of the BCHL's Top Goaltending Duo.[5] He was not allowed to participate in the playoffs that year due to anNCAA eligibility rule; in order to maintain his eligibility, he could not playjunior hockey after turning 21. Without Stevenson, the Express defeated theLangley Rivermen before theCOVID-19 pandemic forced the end of the playoffs.[6]
After leaving the Express, Stevenson went toDartmouth for the2020–21 season. He did not appear in any games as a freshman due to COVID-19. He made his collegiate debut in the2021–22 season againstUConn on October 30, saving 34 out of 36 shots in a 1–4 loss. His first win came seven days later againstColgate, winning 3–2 after saving 29 shots. He stopped 37 shots in his firstshutout in a game againstYale on February 12. He finished his lone collegiate hockey season with a losing record of 6–14, but a GAA of 2.70 and a SV% of .922. He was named to the All-Ivy First Team and the All-ECAC Hockey Third Team, and was also named Dartmouth's team MVP.[5]
After Stevenson's sophomore season, theWashington Capitals offered him a contract. Following months of deliberation with his coaches at Dartmouth and his agent, he decided to accept the offer and leave college, signing a two-yearentry level contract worth $1.85 million on March 28, 2022.[3][7] He spent most of 2022–23 in theECHL with theSouth Carolina Stingrays, a Capitals minor league associate, which he believed was beneficial for his development.[3] Stevenson made his ECHL debut on November 5, 2022, stopping 38 of 40 shots in a 4–2 victory against theAtlanta Gladiators. His first ECHL shutout came on December 3 against theSavannah Ghost Pirates.[8] Stevenson was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the week of November 28 – December 4, recording 2 wins, a 0.50 GAA, and a SV% of .984 during that stretch.[9] He finished the season 19–12–3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .916 SV%.[1] He played in five playoff games, where he had a 2-1-2 record with a 2.11 GAA and a .926 SV%.[7] That season, he also made three appearances for the Capitals'AHL associate, theHershey Bears, posting a 3–0 record with a 1.96 GAA and a .924 SV%.[1]
The Capitals called Stevenson up to the NHL for opening night in October 2023, as starterDarcy Kuemper and AHL starter Hunter Shepard were both unavailable.[4][10] He did not play in an NHL game, however, and played his first full-time AHL season with the Bears in2023–24.[1] The Capitals resigned him with a 3-year contract worth $2.325 million in December 2023.[7] Backing upHunter Shepard for the Hershey Bears, Stevenson finished with a record of 24–10–2, a GAA of 2.06, which was second only to Shepard in the AHL, and a SV% of .922.[11] He tied the Bears' franchise record for shutouts[12] and set the Bears rookie record for shutouts with seven,[13] which also led all AHL goalies.[11] He also set the Bears' record for GAA, surpassingPheonix Copley's 2.17 GAA from the2014–15 season.[14] He was named AHL Goaltender of the Month in December 2023[15] and joined fellow Bears playersEthen Frank andDylan McIlrath at the 2024AHL All-Star Classic in February 2024.[16] Stevenson and Shepard combined for 11 shutouts during the season, a Hershey Bears record,[17] and received theHarry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the pair that allowed the lowest GAA of the season.[18] Duringthe playoffs that year, Stevenson mainly acted as a backup for Shepard, playing in just 2 games and recording 9 saves out of 10 as the Hershey Bears went on to win their second consecutiveCalder Cup.[1][11]
Stevenson made his NHL debut for the Capitals on April 17, 2025, facing thePittsburgh Penguins. He allowed five goals on 38 shots in a 2–5 defeat. Despite the loss, the Capitals head coachSpencer Carbery described Stevenson's performance as "fantastic".[19]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2012–13 | Brazeau Parkland Selects U15 AA | NAHL U15 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7.41 | .846 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Brazeau Parkland Selects U15 AA | NAHL U15 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5.02 | .900 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Chilliwack Chiefs U18 A1 | U18 A1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | 100 Mile House Wranglers | KIJHL | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3.12 | .907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Coquitlam Express | BCHL | 23 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 1219 | 79 | 0 | 3.89 | .885 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 91 | 3 | 0 | 1.99 | .961 | ||
| 2018–19 | Coquitlam Express | BCHL | 27 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1608 | 90 | 2 | 3.36 | .889 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 178 | 7 | 1 | 2.36 | .929 | ||
| 2019–20 | Coquitlam Express | BCHL | 35 | 30 | 2 | 2 | 2067 | 61 | 4 | 1.77 | .936 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Dartmouth College | ECAC | 23 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 1334 | 60 | 2 | 2.70 | .922 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 36 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 2056 | 87 | 3 | 2.54 | .916 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 312 | 11 | 1 | 2.11 | .926 | ||
| 2022–23 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 183 | 6 | 0 | 1.96 | .924 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 36 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 2159 | 74 | 7 | 2.06 | .922 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 1.86 | .900 | ||
| 2024–25 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 33 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1838 | 90 | 2 | 2.94 | .888 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .875 | ||
| 2024–25 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | .868 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | .868 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| BCHL | ||
| First Team All-Star | 2020 | |
| Top Goaltender | 2020 | |
| Wally Forslund Memorial Trophy | 2020 | |
| College | ||
| ECAC All-Rookie Team | 2022 | |
| ECAC Third All-Star Team | 2022 | |
| All-Ivy League First Team | 2022 | |
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2024 | [16] |
| Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award | 2024 | [18] |
| Calder Cup | 2024 | [20] |