Clay Stevenson is Ready To Handle Calder Cup Workload & Lead Hershey in the Net

Shepard was always the goaltender the Bears would lean on. He would deliver in the big games, winning 30 of his 47 starts, including two Calder Cup titles. Now, Stevenson is the one the Bears are relying on. “I’ve put myself in the position to be in that role and the confidence in myself,” Stevenson stated after the recent game. Sure, Mitch Gibson was a reliable veteran all season but it’s the playoffs, and it’s a different animal (or a different bear, one might say).

It requires teams to turn to a goaltender to lead them. “We have to. That’s the playoffs, right? Whether you’re in the NHL, the East Coast Hockey League, your hot goalies are going to play every night unless something’s wrong,” King mentioned after the 2-0 victory.

Stevenson has big shoes to fill as the follow-up act for Shepard. That said, he’s learned a lot from the veteran over the years. “It was such a blessing to be able to watch Shep over the past few years and how he handles situations,” Stevenson noted. The two formed a great duo in previous seasons and helped the Bears remain a top team in the American Hockey League in the regular season and the playoffs.

Now, Stevenson is making the most of his lessons from Shepard and using them when the Bears need them most. The Bears are a flawed team with struggles on offense outside of the top six, a blue line that has battled injuries, and a team that is younger and less experienced for the playoffs. They entered the series against the Islanders as the lower seed and a less talented team. Yet, they had the edge in the net, and it showed in Game One.

Stevenson as a Capitals Prospect

The question anyone has when watching Stevenson at the AHL level is what he’ll look like in the NHL. The Washington Capitals called him up a few times but never made him a full-time goaltender despite having questions with their backup. At 27 years old, he’s no longer a prospect but like many goaltenders, he took time to develop, and the 6-foot-4 goalie is rounding out his game this season.

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One scout at Game One noted that because he’s a bigger goaltender, it gives him a better chance to join an NHL team. Another talked about Charlie Lindgren and how Stevenson would be an upgrade over him, giving the Capitals a Stevenson-Logan Thompson duo for next season.

Stevenson looked like an NHL goaltender against the Islanders. “He’s phenomenal. He’s an NHL goalie in my eyes, and when you have a guy like that in the net, he bails you out,” Henrik Rybinski, who assisted the game-winning goal, noted after the 2-0 win.

For now, the focus is on Stevenson leading the Bears and being a workhorse. It’s

But for now, the focus is on him leading the Bears and being the workhorse. It’s giving them an early edge against the Islanders and could be what separates them from the other teams in a Calder Cup Playoff run.