The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. The team re-assigned Zach Fucale to the Bears on Friday.
Shepard, 26, has posted a record 5-3-0 with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in nine games with Hershey this season. Additionally, the 6’0″, 215-pound goaltender has appeared in 23 games for the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL, posting a record of 12-9-2 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.
The Cohasset, Minn., native appeared in three games with Hershey in the 2020-21 season, finishing with a 3-0-0 record with one shutout, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .969 save percentage. Shepard played in 21 games with the Stingrays, earning a 12-6-2 record with one shutout, a 2.55 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Shepard earned Goaltender of the Week honors with South Carolina in the week of May 24-30 after going 3-0-0 with a shutout, a 1.33 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage.
Shepard signed an AHL contract with Hershey on June 30, 2020, following a four-year career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the NCAA. In 119 games with the team – which included an NCAA-record 115 straight games from Oct. 21, 2017 to March 7, 2020 – Shepard finished with a 76-37-5 record, ranking first all-time in Bulldogs history in wins, goals-against average (1.94), save percentage (.922) and shutouts (17). Shepard won back-to-back NCAA Championships with the Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019, was twice named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Goaltender of the Year (2019 and 2020), earned First-Team All-American honors in 2019 and Second-Team All-American honors in 2020. Shepard finished his NCAA career as a three-time Mike Richter Award Finalist – given to the NCAA’s top goaltender – and a three-time All-NCHC selection.
Prior to his collegiate career, Shepard appeared in 81 games with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) from 2014-15 through 2015-16. In 2015-16, Shepard earned North American Hockey League Goaltender of the Year honors, was named to the First All-Star Team and led the NAHL in games played (50), wins (34), and shutouts (8), while ranking second in goals against average (1.90).
Shepard will be a black ace with Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov in front of him on the depth chart.
Honestly I think I would play Shepard in game 4 and if there was a game 5 recall Fucale and play him. Let all the goalies get some playoff experience this year as you never know who is going to rise to the challange.
If Sammy bombs today I would try Fucale or Hunter next game.
Lots of people on another site complaining that the Caps pulled up Hunter instead of Fucale or Cops. I feel all of them are ignoring the fact that the Bears are fighting for their lives in their best of 3 playoff. Bears play tomorrow and it’s win or go home. They want their two senior goalies. And deserve them. Pulling all the Bears’ top players to come sit in DC does not make for a good Caps-Bears relationship.
Fucale was up last game and they already know the Copley is truly a backup and not going to appear in the playoffs up here.