Capitals Recall Stevenson, Bears Add Gibson from South Carolina

January 29, 2026

The Washington Capitals, the National Hockey League affiliate of the Hershey Bears, have recalled goaltender Clay Stevenson from Hershey. The announcement was made by Washington senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick. Additionally, the Bears have recalled goaltender Mitch Gibson from the club's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. 

Stevenson, 26, has gone 11-8-3 in 24 games with Hershey this season, recording a 2.57 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He stopped 27 shots and was named the First Star in Hershey's win on Wednesday at Rochester, giving him 56th career victory in net for Hershey in his AHL career, moving him past Philipp Grubauer and into a tie with Peter Budaj for 16th in wins by a goaltender in club history.

He has posted a record of 56-26-9 in 96 career AHL games with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and nine shutouts. He was part of Hershey's 2024 Calder Cup Championship team and shared the AHL's Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award that year with Hunter Shepard as the league's goaltender tandem that allowed the fewest goals per game in the regular season (2.10). 

Stevenson made his NHL debut for the Capitals on April 17, 2025 at Pittsburgh, stopping 33 shots in a 5-2 loss.

Gibson, 26, has posted a 4-1-2 record in seven games with Hershey this season, owning a 2.25 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. He earned his first AHL shutout on Dec. 13, stopping 36 shots versus the Charlotte Checkers.

After entering this season with a 3-0-0 lifetime AHL record, Gibson won his first three starts with Hershey in 2025-26, becoming the first goaltender in team history to begin their Bears tenure with six consecutive wins. 

The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native has gone 8-5-0 in 13 games with the Stingrays this season, posting a 2.32 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage to go along with one shutout. He was the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the period of Nov. 3-9.  

The Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Rochester Americans on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena. The Bears return home to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.