The Hershey Bears announced Friday morning that they have returned goaltender Clay Stevenson and defenseman Benton Maass to ECHL South Carolina. The move comes after goaltender Zach Fucale and defenseman Gabriel Carlsson were returned to Hershey from the Capitals on Thursday.
MORE FROM THE BEARS
The Washington Capitals, the NHL affiliate of the Hershey Bears, announced today that goaltender Clay Stevenson has been re-assigned from the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) to the Bears. Additionally, the Bears announced that defenseman Benton Maass has been loaned to South Carolina.
Stevenson, 24, is 3-0-0 with Hershey this season. He made his AHL debut on Dec. 10 versus Cleveland, turning aside 25 shots. He earned starts on back-to-back nights the following weekend, defeating Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a 23-save performance on Dec. 17, and turning aside 25 more shots in a win over Lehigh Valley on Dec. 18. He has a 1.96 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage with Hershey this season.
Stevenson has posted a 10-3-3 record with the Stingrays this year over 17 games, owning a 2.21 goals-against average, .927 save percentage, and two shutouts. The rookie netminder earned his first professional shutout on Dec. 3 for the Stingrays, stopping 25 shots and earning first star honors in a 3-0 victory over Savannah. He was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Nov. 28-Dec. 4.
Maass, 24, appeared in two games for Hershey this season, posting an assist for his first AHL point on Mar. 18 versus Rochester.He has registered nine points (4g, 5a) in 45 games this season with the Stingrays, posting 40 penalty minutes and a team-best plus/minus of 13. He scored his first professional goal on Dec. 14, 2022 at Atlanta.
Maass was selected by the Capitals in the 6th round of the 2017 NHL Draft. After four years at the University of New Hampshire, Maass transferred to Minnesota State University for the 2021-22 season, helping the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament title game.