The American Hockey League announced today that Hershey Bears goaltender Clay Stevenson has been named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.
Stevenson, 24, played in seven games for Hershey in December, posting a 6-1-0 record with a 1.73 goals-against average, a .942 save percentage, and two shutouts.
The Drayton Valley, Alberta native opened the month with 27 saves in a 4-2 win at Charlotte on Dec. 1, and came back the following night with 34 stops in the Bears' 5-2 victory over the Checkers. He made 21 saves to shut out Cleveland on Dec. 9, and stopped 27 shots as Hershey edged Providence on Dec. 23. Following a 26-save effort at Rochester on Dec. 29, Stevenson closed out December by making an AHL career-high 37 saves in a 4-0 shutout of Lehigh Valley on Dec. 30.
Stevenson is 12-4-0 in 16 outings for Hershey this season and leads the AHL in goals-against average (1.70), save percentage (.937), and shutouts (five). The five shutouts pulled Stevenson into a tie with Ron Hextall (1985-86) and Vitek Vanecek (2016-17) for the franchise's single-season record for shutouts by a rookie goaltender. Stevenson spent most of the 2022-23 season with South Carolina (ECHL) before serving as the Bears' third goaltender during their run to the Calder Cup championship. Stevenson originally signed with Washington as a free agent on Mar. 28, 2022, and inked a three-year extension with the Capitals on Dec. 12.
In addition to Stevenson's honor, the league also announced that Providence Bruins forward Georgii Merkulov was named AHL Player of the Month and Ontario Reign defenseman Brandt Clarke was named AHL Rookie of the Month for December.
The Bears continue the 2023-24 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they return home to GIANT Center to face the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. for Berks Dollar Dog Night. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.
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