Players

Getting to Know… Chandler Stephenson

(Caps Outsider)

For Capitals forward Chandler Stephenson, his hockey roots in Saskatchewan provided him with a much needed start on the road to his professional playing career. However, these roots run much deeper than his early playing days as part of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. As part of the 2018 Stanley Cup winning Capitals roster, Stephenson, a native of Saskatoon, chose to bring the Stanley Cup to the city of Humboldt which, last year, were devastated by the tragic bus crash which claimed the lives of 16 and injured 13 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.

Stephenson was also applauded by his actions of visiting the intersection where the crash took place, meeting privately with survivors of the horrific incident.

From a hockey perspective, having made his start in his hometown, Stephenson signed with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League in 2010. With solid game and point totals, he was soon on the NHL radar as he played 60 games for the Pats in his first season, recording 19 points.

Stephenson laced up the skates for the Pats for the following three seasons and recorded a total of 230 games for the Pats in the WHL. The NHL came knocking in 2012 as Stephenson was drafted in the third round at 77th overall by the Capitals and signed a three year entry level contract two years later in 2014.

In 2014, Stephenson joined the Hershey Bears on an amateur try out and soon found himself playing at AHL level as he made a push towards his NHL debut. 54 games, 7 goals, 7 assists and 10 playoff games during the 2014/15 season with the Bears gave the Capitals a chance to see him in action at the professional level and Stephenson was called up to the Caps roster early in the 2015/16 season to make his NHL debut in a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks.

Stephenson mainly featured as part of the Bears’ line up between 2015 and 2017, being recalled by the Capitals for a total of 13 games across the two seasons. He became a familiar face in Hershey but 2017 would see him return to the Capitals line up on a more permanent basis.

In what would become a pivotal and memorable season for Stephenson and the Capitals, the Saskatoon product went on to record 67 regular season games, 6 goals and 12 assists during the 2017/18 season as well as lining up in all 24 of the Capitals’ Stanley Cup Playoff games and claiming the cup with the Caps.

Despite an injury-induced interruption to his season (which included a short yet much loved return to Hershey), Stephenson has recorded 59 games, 5 goals and 5 assists this season so far and will remain a pivotal part of the Capitals line up as the playoffs approach once again.

Stephenson had also been neighbors with one of his Caps coaches, Lane Lambert, while growing up.

 

 

 

 

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