The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, top affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, announced Thursday that the Monsters signed goaltender Hayden Stewart to a pro tryout (PTO) contract. This season, Stewart went 4-5-2 with a 3.01 goals-against average (GAA) and a .912 save percentage (S%) in 11 appearances for the SPHL’s Birmingham Bulls and added a record of 0-1-0 with a 5.00 GAA and a .857 S% in one appearance for the SPHL’s Knoxville Ice Bears.

A 6’3”, 205 lb. left-catching native of Rockford, IL, Stewart, 26, appeared in ten ECHL games for the Cincinnati Cyclones, Orlando Solar Bears, and Fort Wayne Komets spanning parts of two seasons from 2017-19, posting a record of 3-6-0 with a 3.92 GAA and .885 S%. Prior to his professional career, Stewart went 6-7-1 with three shutouts, a 2.01 GAA and a .925 S% in 22 NCAA appearances for Cornell University spanning four seasons from 2014-18. In 40 USHL appearances for the Muskegon Lumberjacks, Dubuque Fighting Saints, and the Indiana Ice spanning parts of three seasons from 2011-14, Stewart went 24-14-2 with five shutouts, a 2.85 GAA and a .900 S% and helped Indiana claim the 2014 Clark Cup as USHL Playoff Champions.