The future of Washington Capitals goaltending and their SC to NHL pipeline

The Washington Capitals lost Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren to injuries in late January. Thompson went down against the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 27, and Lindgren against the Detroit Red Wings two days later, although he finished the shootout and helped secure the win.

The Capitals had to call up Clay Stevenson and Garin Bjorklund from their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, to fill the open spots.

Stevenson has a .907 Sv% and a 2.72 GAA with the Bears this season. He has emerged as the starter since the organization parted ways with their old starter, Hunter Shepard.

Bjorklund has split time as the backup with Mitch Gibson, playing 12 games each. Bjorklund has struggled somewhat with the Bears this season, with a .881 Sv%, after an impressive two-game AHL debut at .942 Sv% last season.

Gibson has done better in his 12 games, with a solid 2.48 GAA and a .918 Sv%. Gibson has spent more time with the ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, than Bjorklund has at very similar stats.

With the exception of Lindgren, all the goaltenders currently in the organization have developed through the organization's affiliate pipeline, spending time with the Stingrays initially and moving up through the leagues.

The Capitals have a relatively strong history of developing goaltenders within the organization, and many former Stingrays have also gone on to succeed at the NHL level with other teams.

Stanley Cup Champion and 2016 Vezina winner Braden Holtby was with the Stingrays during the 2009-2010 season. His backup goalie during the cup run, Philipp Grubauer, also started his North American professional career with the Stingrays, playing with them in the 2011-2012 season.

Grubauer is also currently participating in the Winter Olympics for Team Germany in the men’s hockey tournament. He is joined by Logan Thompson, playing for Canada’s men's team.

Other notable NHL goaltenders who got their start in the Lowcountry include Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley, who both spent time with Washington, and James Reimer, who won the Kelly Cup during his time in South Carolina.

Stevenson, who is next in line in the goaltending hierarchy, played all three games while the main tandem was injured, including back-to-back appearances.

He picked up two wins during his brief stint, only losing in the second half of the back-to-back. Stevenson made his NHL debut last season in a tough loss, but the coaching staff and players were still generally pleased with his performance and potential.

His NHL save percentage currently sits at .904 Sv%, which is actually slightly higher than average. He picked up his first career NHL win against the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-3 OT victory. The victory was the first time in over a month the Capitals had strung together more than one win in a row.

Stevenson got even stronger in his second start, stopping 29 of 30 shots and backstopping the Capitals to a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders. His impressive performance got him the nod to start the next night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The game ended his success, as the Capitals lost 4-2 against a struggling Flyers team. However, Stevenson still put up a solid performance, and the coaching staff seemed pleased with his emergency play and hopeful for his future.

Lindgren recently resigned, but his contract expires at the end of the 2027-28 season. It is very likely that Stevenson will break through and become the Capitals' backup in the coming years, especially as Thompson becomes more experienced and dominant. Bjorklund will likely replace Stevenson as Hershey’s starter, as he still needs more time to develop before breaching the NHL.

While their AHL numbers are nothing exceptional, the current rotation in Hershey can be given some grace, as defense at that level is significantly worse than NHL defense, and entails a much more difficult and strenuous schedule, with worse resources.

In the ECHL, the Capitals' prospective goaltenders include Gibson and Seth Eisele. Gibson just signed a contract with the Capitals earlier this week. This recent signing makes it clear that Washington is still investing in their affiliate goaltenders and continuing their in-organization development for their next tandem.

Once healthy, Thompson and Lindgren will resume their positions for the time being and likely in the near future, but the Capitals' goaltending future looks bright as they continue their successful pipeline from the South Carolina Stingrays.

Jenny Karamus is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jrk6308@psu.edu.