Patent Application No. WO 2014/098353 (Kwon) discloses a typical cone clutch for a stator in a torque converter. In a typical torque converter using a stator with a cone clutch, during stator locked mode, the cone clutch is closed to non-rotatably connect the stator to a stator shaft and axial thrust generated by fluid passing through the blades of the stator is reacted by the stator and stator shaft. Since the stator shaft is fixed to the transmission, the thrust is undesirably transmitted to the transmission. In addition, the axial force flow between the torque converter's turbine and impeller is not closed, which causes the impeller to thrust against a flex plate used to connect the torque converter to an engine crankshaft. Further, the design shown by Kwon requires a complicated assembly to slip the snap ring over the stator shaft and into its groove during installation into the transmission.