The Washington Capitals will have a changing of the guard in net next season. While the club’s NHL tandem of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren remains intact, Hunter Shepard will no longer be the primary goaltender for the Hershey Bears nor serve as the Capitals’ de facto third goalie.
Shepard, a two-time Calder Cup champion with the Bears, departed the organization in free agency, signing a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. Moving forward, Clay Stevenson, Hershey’s regular backup for the past two seasons, will step into the role Shepard had filled.
“We’re comfortable – Clay needs a chance here,” Caps GM Chris Patrick said Saturday. “He’s kinda been behind Shep for most of his pro career, so he needs a chance to really be the guy and show that he can do it and carry the heavy workload. So I think he’s in the right spot in his development plan for that.
Stevenson made his NHL debut in the Capitals’ final regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, impressing head coach Spencer Carbery despite taking a 5-2 loss. He was sent back to Hershey on May 1, later earning his first career AHL playoff victory in the Atlantic Division Semifinals against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
During the regular season for the Bears, Stevenson had an 18-8-4 record along with a 2.94 goals-against average, an .888 save percentage, and two shutouts in 33 appearances. Stevenson’s best year in pro hockey came during the 2023-24 campaign, when he went 24-10-2 for the Bears with a 2.06 goals-against average, a .922 save percentage, and seven shutouts.
Stevenson was named an AHL All-Star in 2024 and, alongside Shepard, took home the Hap Holmes Memorial Award, which is a trophy awarded annually to the goaltenders on the AHL team with the lowest goals-against average, and who have appeared in at least 25 regular-season games.
The battle for who becomes Stevenson’s backup in the AHL will likely come down to Mitch Gibson and Garin Bjorklund. Gibson is signed to an AHL contract with the Bears next season, while Bjorklund, a 2020 sixth-round draft pick, is still under contract with the Capitals and a restricted free agent next summer.
Bjorklund went 21-4-3 in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays this past year, posting a 2.02 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage, and one shutout. Gibson went 12-1 in his ECHL starts with a 1.75 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
