A former DV Minor Hockey Player to their roster has signed with the Washington Capitals.
Clay Stevenson was born in Edmonton, but he spent part of his life growing up in Drayton Valley with his dad, Ian. The other portion of his life was spent in B.C. with his mother Holly, who was one of the greatest supporters of his hockey career.
After playing minor hockey in both B.C. and Alberta, some of which was spent in Drayton, Stevenson went on to play Junior B and Junior A hockey in B.C. From there he was picked up by the Dartmouth Big Green.
His save percentage of 0.900 appealed to several teams. Stevenson’s overall rating is 0.922, which ranked second in the ECAC.
While draft eligibility for the NHL starts at the age of 18 and ends at 20. Stevenson, at age 23, has been drafted as a free agent to the team.
“I was an NCAA free agent and I think that was the best group for me.” He says it allowed him to choose where he wanted to go, and he wasn’t locked into any one team.
Stevenson says his drive for hockey started when he was young. His mother was an avid hockey player and always encouraged Stevenson to play the sport. She even stepped up to coach his team one year in B.C.
He says he learned that he loved the goaltender position from a young age, and always asked to play it when he was on the younger teams. He started playing hockey at age 7.
“My mom always told me that I should start out as a player first, and then if you still want to be a goalie you can,” she says.
The next year, Stevenson said he tried other positions, but he always preferred goaltending. When he was finally able to secure a permanent position for goaltender, he was happy to have it. “My third year of hockey, I was a full-time goalie,” he says.
“My mom always made sure I was enrolled in goalie camp whenever I could. She would get up early to take me to practice before school,” says Stevenson. “Those are times I will never forget with her.”
At that time, Stevenson moved to B.C., where he played one year of Atom and two years of Peewee. Then he returned to Drayton Valley, where he played his two years of Bantam and one year of Midget hockey.
He finished out his Minor Hockey career in B.C., where he was drafted to play Junior B Hockey in the KIJHL for the 100 Mile House Wranglers. Shortly after that, he was drafted to play for the Coquitlam Express, a Junior A team in the BCHL.
“I actually committed to Dartmouth about six weeks into my Junior A Hockey Career,” says Stevenson. He says Dartmouth approached him before he was even playing Junior A while he was at a hockey camp. At the time he assumed it was a Junior A scout, so he was surprised to realize it was a scout for Division 1 hockey.
“So I made Junior A and next thing you know I was committed to Dartmouth College. It was the best decision of my life, and I’ve never looked back.”
Stevenson signed on with the Washington Capitals after taking a tour of their facility, where he met Alexander Ovechkin. The actual sign on date was March 27, 2022.
“I had been in touch with them for a while throughout my season,” he says.
Though Stevenson had had several offers from other teams, he says he felt comfortable with Washington’s overall program and facility. “The people in the organization are second to none,” he says.
Stevenson says one of the perks of making it into pro hockey is being able to choose the number for his jersey. Since his birthday is March 3, 1999, Stevenson has always had an affinity for the number 33. Now that he is with the Capitals, he can wear the number.
Though he is excited at his success, he says his mother’s encouragement and his father’s steadfast support were what helped him to succeed. “She always believed in me. I would consider my mom a keystone in that. I can’t thank her enough every day.”
