Jets Claim Clay Stevenson Off Waivers From Capitals, Ending Four-Year Run in Washington Organization
By Brian Hradsky
The Washington Capitals lost a piece of their organizational goaltending depth Monday when the Winnipeg Jets claimed goaltender Clay Stevenson off waivers. Stevenson was the only player placed on waivers by Washington on Sunday who did not clear, bringing his four-year run in the Capitals organization to an end.
Washington placed Stevenson on waivers Sunday as part of its final round of roster cuts ahead of the 2026-27 regular season. Forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Spencer Smallman and defenseman Louie Belpedio also went on waivers, but all three cleared and can join the Hershey Bears.
Losing Stevenson is more significant than a typical waiver transaction. The 27-year-old developed from an undrafted college free agent into a legitimate NHL depth option while working his way through the Capitals’ system, and he played a role in Hershey’s recent run of success.
Stevenson developed into one of Hershey’s top goaltenders
Stevenson originally joined the Capitals organization after playing at Dartmouth and began his professional career primarily with the South Carolina Stingrays in 2022-23. He eventually moved up the organizational depth chart and established himself in Hershey, where he became Hunter Shepard’s goaltending partner during the Bears’ 2024 Calder Cup championship season.
Across 109 career AHL regular-season games with Hershey, Stevenson posted a 63-31-9 record, 2.50 goals-against average, .909 save percentage and nine shutouts, according to the American Hockey League. He also owns a Calder Cup championship from Hershey’s 2024 title run.
Stevenson continued making progress last season. He went 18-13-3 with a .912 save percentage in 37 appearances for Hershey during the 2025-26 regular season while also receiving opportunities with Washington.
That combination of size, professional experience and relatively strong AHL production made putting Stevenson on waivers a risk.
Winnipeg took advantage.
Stevenson had started breaking through with the Capitals
Stevenson’s NHL opportunities were limited because of Washington’s established goaltending situation, but he showed enough during his appearances to demonstrate that he could handle NHL competition.
He made his NHL debut late in the 2024-25 season against the Pittsburgh Penguins, stopping 33 shots in a 5-2 loss. Stevenson then earned his first NHL victory on Jan. 31, 2026, when Washington defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in overtime.
The AHL credits Stevenson with a 3-2-0 record, 2.60 goals-against average and .906 save percentage over five career NHL appearances with Washington.
That NHL experience, combined with his track record in Hershey, likely made Stevenson particularly attractive on the waiver wire. He is still only 27 years old, stands 6-foot-5 and has extensive experience playing behind a successful AHL team.
Stevenson also has one season remaining on his current contract at an $850,000 NHL cap hit before he can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
Why Washington exposed Stevenson
The move came down to Washington’s crowded goaltending picture.
Logan Thompson is firmly established at the NHL level, leaving the Capitals to make decisions about the rest of their goaltending depth during training camp. Stevenson entered camp alongside Thompson and veteran professional tryout Cal Petersen, among others. Washington’s official training camp roster listed Stevenson at 6-foot-5 and 196 pounds.
The Capitals ultimately attempted to send Stevenson through waivers as they finalized their opening roster. It was a calculated risk because Stevenson had exhausted his waiver exemption and could no longer simply be assigned to Hershey without being made available to the other NHL clubs.
Washington successfully moved several other veterans through waivers during its final cuts, but Stevenson did not make it through.
Winnipeg had an immediate need
The Jets’ claim makes sense given their current goaltending situation.
Winnipeg is dealing with uncertainty surrounding Connor Hellebuyck, creating a need for another NHL-capable goaltender. Stevenson now gives the Jets another option alongside Stuart Skinner, and Daily Faceoff reported that Stevenson is expected to begin the season on Winnipeg’s NHL roster.
That means Stevenson goes from fighting for organizational positioning in Washington to potentially having an immediate NHL opportunity with Winnipeg.
For a goaltender who spent most of the previous four seasons trying to work his way from the ECHL through the AHL and eventually into the NHL, the waiver claim could become a significant career opportunity.
What happens with Cal Petersen?
This is where Washington’s situation becomes particularly interesting.
Petersen attended Capitals training camp on a professional tryout. The 31-year-old went 13-16-2 with a 2.73 goals-against average, .896 save percentage and four shutouts in 33 games for the AHL’s Iowa Wild last season. He has considerably more NHL experience than Stevenson, appearing in 106 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers.
Petersen owns a 46-44-10 career NHL record with a 2.96 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. However, he has not appeared in an NHL regular-season game since the 2023-24 season.
Washington officially released Petersen from his PTO on Sunday. However, that does not necessarily end the relationship.
Petersen is expected to report to Hershey for additional preseason work despite currently being a free agent. That leaves open the possibility of the Capitals organization or Hershey eventually signing him to a contract.
That possibility becomes considerably more important after losing Stevenson.
Washington needs experienced organizational depth in net. Petersen could provide exactly that without requiring the Capitals to make a trade or search outside the organization for someone unfamiliar with the system.
Tom Gulitti also reported Monday that he expects Washington to sign Petersen to some form of contract in the near future following Stevenson’s waiver claim. At this point, however, that remains an expectation rather than an officially announced transaction.
Hershey loses an important goaltender
The impact also extends beyond Washington.
Hershey has relied heavily on organizational goaltending depth during its recent championship runs, and Stevenson had become a familiar part of that structure. Losing him changes the Bears’ goaltending picture shortly before their season begins.
The Bears announced Monday that several players had arrived from Washington following the Capitals’ roster cuts as Hershey continues constructing its training camp roster.
Stevenson will not be one of them.
Instead of returning to Hershey, he heads to an entirely new organization with an opportunity to establish himself as a full-time NHL goaltender.
For Washington, the next move could now involve Petersen. For Hershey, it means replacing a goaltender who won 63 regular-season AHL games and helped the Bears capture a Calder Cup.
MSB Take
The Capitals knew there was a chance they could lose Stevenson when they placed him on waivers, and Winnipeg clearly saw enough value to make the claim.
It is unfortunate for Washington and Hershey because Stevenson was a true organizational development success story. He went from an undrafted free agent to the ECHL, became a Calder Cup champion with Hershey and eventually worked his way into NHL games with Washington. His .912 save percentage with Hershey last season and flashes at the NHL level showed why another organization would be interested.
For Stevenson, however, this could be the opportunity he has been waiting for. Instead of returning to the AHL as organizational depth, he now has a path toward beginning the season on an NHL roster.
Washington’s response is worth watching. Petersen has already spent training camp with the Capitals and is heading to Hershey despite being released from his PTO. With Stevenson now gone, signing Petersen would restore an experienced layer of goaltending depth to the organization.
The Stevenson era in Washington may be over, but his development is another example of how productive the Capitals-Hershey-South Carolina pipeline has become. Now the Capitals will have to make sure losing him does not leave that pipeline too thin in net.
