Photo: ECHL

The Hershey Bears announced on Thursday that the team has signed goaltender Billy Christopoulos to a professional tryout agreement.  The Netminder was a member of ECHL’s All-Rookie Team last season.

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(Hershey, PA-Mar. 18, 2021)- The Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed goaltender Billy Christopoulos to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).

Christopoulos, 27, has played in 11 games this season with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel, collecting a 6-4-0 record with one shutout. His 2.13 goals-against average is 2nd in the ECHL while his .918 save percentage is 9th in the league.

The 6’2″, 193-pound netminder started his professional career with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, winning his only game with the Stingrays on Nov. 17, 2019. He would join the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye later that month and turned in an impressive first pro season, going 23-3-3 over 29 games with Toledo. His .932 save percentage led the ECHL and he was named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team.

Christopoulos signed a PTO with the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights earlier this month, but did not see any game action. The Raleigh, North Carolina native played at the Air Force Academy from 2015-19. In 93 career NCAA games, Christopoulos went 42-35-11 with a 2.29 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage, and eight shutouts. He was named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s (AHA) Goaltender of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

He will wear #30 for Hershey.

The Bears announced yesterday that goaltender Hunter Shepard had been recalled from the club’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. The Bears now have four goaltenders on their active roster.

By Jon Sorensen