The Washington Capitals loaned defenseman Ethan Bear and goaltenders Clay Stevenson and Mitchell Gibson to the Hershey Bears for their Calder Cup Playoff run.
The two time defending Calder Cup champion Bears faced the Charlotte Checkers in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Finals on Friday night at Bojangles Coliseum. The Bears dropped Game 1 and Game 2 and are now on the brink in the best of five series.
Bear is 27 years old and led Hershey with 46 points with 10 goals and 36 assists in 62 regular season games this season. His 36 assists and 46 points were AHL career highs and ranked tied for eighth among AHL defensemen.
The five foot 11, 197 pound defenseman also ranked second among all skaters in plus/minus with +33. Bear represented Hershey at the 2025 AHL All Star Classic in February and was named to the AHL's 2024-25 Second All Star Team.
The Regina, Saskatchewan native has tallied four points with two goals and two assists in eight career AHL playoff games.
Stevenson is 26 years old and posted an 18-8-4 record with a 2.94 goals against average, an .888 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 games with Hershey during the regular season.
In his lone start of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs on May 9, Stevenson stopped 28 of 32 shots faced in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals at Lehigh Valley to help the Bears stave off elimination.
On April 17 at the Pittsburgh Penguins, the six foot four, 195 pound goaltender made his NHL debut making 33 saves. Stevenson was a member of Hershey's 2024 Calder Cup championship team and has posted a 1-0 record with a 3.25 goals against average and an .881 save percentage in three career postseason appearances with the Bears.
Gibson is 25 years old and won his only appearance with Hershey this season, stopping 26 of 28 shots faced in a 6-2 win at Springfield on Oct. 26, 2024.
In 14 games with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, Gibson posted a record of 12-1-0 with a 1.75 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.
The six foot one, 207 pound goaltender also appeared in four Kelly Cup Playoff games with South Carolina, recording a 3.40 goals against average and an .870 save percentage.