Clay Stevenson

Clay Stevenson (born March 3, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). After a 30-win season with the BCHL's Coquitlam Express, Stevenson attended Dartmouth 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 the Washington Capitals and debuted for their ECHL associate, the South 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 2024 AHL All-Star Classic, was named Goaltender of the Month in December, and was a co-recipient of the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award.

Early life Stevenson was born on March 3, 1999, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He has one older and one younger sister. 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. On his goalie mask, he has his nickname, "Mud", on the front, and a Star of Life on the back as an homage to his mother.

Playing career

Youth Stevenson played U15 hockey for the Brazeau Parkland Selects before moving to the KIJHL and playing for the 100 Mile House Wranglers. In 25 games with the Wranglers, he posted a 3.12 goals against average (GAA) and a .907 save percentage (SV%).

For the 2017–18 season, Stevenson moved to the BCHL, where he played three seasons with the Coquitlam Express. In his first season, he won just 4 games and lost 16 while recording a 3.89 GAA and a .885 SV%. In the 2018–19 season, he improved his record to 14–11 and lowered his GAA to 3.36.

College After leaving the Express, Stevenson went to Dartmouth for the 2020–21 season. He did not appear in any games as a freshman due to COVID-19. He made his collegiate debut in the 2021–22 season against UConn on October 30, saving 34 out of 36 shots in a 1–4 loss. His first win came seven days later against Colgate, winning 3–2 after saving 29 shots. He stopped 37 shots in his first shutout in a game against Yale 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. He spent most of 2022–23 in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays, a Capitals minor league associate, which he believed was beneficial for his development. 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. He finished the season 19–12–3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .916 SV%. He did not play in an NHL game, however, and played his first full-time AHL season with the Bears in 2023–24. He tied the Bears' franchise record for shutouts and set the Bears rookie record for shutouts with seven, which also led all AHL goalies. He was named AHL Goaltender of the Month in December 2023 and joined fellow Bears players Ethen Frank and Dylan McIlrath at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic in February 2024. Stevenson and Shepard combined for 11 shutouts during the season, a Hershey Bears record, and received the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award as the pair that allowed the lowest GAA of the season. During the 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 consecutive Calder Cup. On February 11, 2026, Stevenson was sent back down to the Hershey Bears.

Career statistics

Awards and honours Award Year BCHL First Team All-Star 2020 Top Goaltender 2020 Wally Forslund Memorial Trophy 2020College ECAC All-Rookie Team 2022 ECAC Third All-Star Team 2022 All-Ivy League First Team 2022 AHL All-Star Game 2024