Winnipeg Jets Claim Clay Stevenson Off Waivers

By claiming Stevenson, the Jets have avoided needing to utilize prospect goalies such as Tomas Milic or Dom DiVincentiis as their backup.

Now, both can continue their development with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, while Stevenson and Skinner hold down the fort in the NHL amidst Hellebuyck’s absence.

Stevenson, 27, gives the Jets a backup goalie option who is, on paper, an immediate upgrade compared to their other options.

The 6’4″ Alberta native has been a real developmental success story for the Capitals organization, and now the Jets are poised to benefit from the years of development invested in Stevenson.

An undrafted player coming out of the BCHL, Stevenson played one season of college hockey at Dartmouth before turning pro in the Capitals organization. He began in the ECHL, the professional starting point of other former Capitals goalies such as future NHL starter Philipp Grubauer.

Stevenson proved himself at the ECHL level, posting a .916 save percentage in 36 games as a rookie. That earned him a spot in an AHL tandem the following year, where he posted a .922 save percentage in 36 games for the Hershey Bears. That year, he won a Calder Cup championship.

While the netminder took a step back in the year that followed, he bounced back in 2025-26. In 37 games for the Bears, Stevenson went 18-13-3 with a .912 save percentage.

In his career, Stevenson has gotten into five NHL games and has a .906 save percentage. He’s owed an $850K NHL salary for the rest of the year and can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Stevenson is on a one-way contract, so his team wouldn’t save any cash if he’s rostered in the AHL rather than the NHL.

From Washington’s perspective, this development is an unfortunate one, even if it is the cost of doing business in the NHL.

Since Stevenson wasn’t going to displace incumbent No. 1 Logan Thompson or veteran No. 2 Charlie Lindgren, the club knew Stevenson would eventually hit the waiver wire, and be at risk of being claimed. But the Capitals seemed to prepare for that possibility, staffing Hershey with several goalie options on AHL deals.

Veteran goalie Cal Petersen, who attended Capitals camp on a PTO, seems a likely candidate to earn a full contract as a result of Stevenson’s departure.