Clay Stevenson Makes the Jump
For a Dartmouth goaltender, the path to an NHL roster spot rarely runs through the waiver wire — but Clay Stevenson isn't following a conventional script.
The Jets claimed Stevenson off waivers from the Washington Capitals organization this week, and the move paid off immediately: Winnipeg named him to their Opening Night 23-man roster, locking him in as the backup netminder to start the 2026–27 season.
The timing of the claim was shaped by circumstances well beyond Stevenson's control. The Jets are navigating an uncertain situation with franchise cornerstone Connor Hellebuyck, and as that situation has dragged into the regular season, Winnipeg needed a credible option between the pipes — fast. Stevenson fit the bill.
What He Brings
The numbers from Stevenson's time in the AHL made the gamble an easy call. He posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.00 goals-against average during the 2025–26 season with the Hershey Bears, numbers that rank among the better goaltending performances in the minors and signaled a player ready to make the full-time NHL leap.
Winnipeg bypassed at least one more familiar option to take a shot on Stevenson, betting that his dominant minor-league production translates to the next level. It's a high-upside wager for a team that finds itself suddenly thin in goal at the worst possible time.
The Big Picture for the Big Green
Stevenson's roster spot is the kind of moment Dartmouth hockey — not exactly a traditional NHL pipeline — rarely gets to celebrate. He joins fellow Dartmouth alum Cooper Black (Panthers) and Drew O'Connor (Canucks) as active NHL players from Hanover, giving the program three representatives in the league simultaneously.
O'Connor has carved out a consistent role on the left wing in Vancouver, while Black remains in the Florida organization. But Stevenson's story carries a different charge: an undrafted goaltender, developed through the AHL grind, now standing one injury — or one Connor Hellebuyck resolution — away from a genuine NHL starting opportunity.
Opening Night rosters are earned, not given, and Stevenson is on one. For a program that produces more Rhodes Scholars than first-round picks, that's worth noting.
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