Hunter Shepard: MVP Returns to the AHL

The fate of goaltender Hunter Shepard’s future with the Hershey Bears was a cause of much concern for fans. Thankfully, within the first 30 minutes of free-agency, it was announced that he re-signed with the Capitals organization for 2 years on a two-way deal. After a stellar year with the Bears, Hunter Shepard (also known as ‘Shep Dadyy’) was an unrestricted free-agent. The goaltender played 33 games with the Bears (and a short stint with the Washington Capitals) with a total of 20 wins, 8 losses, and 5 OT losses. He made 765 saves with a save percentage of 91.6. His goals against average was 2.18, and he allowed 70 goals in the regular season. His athletic and reactive style was the bane of many players on the opposing team, always seeming like he was in the right place at the right time even when it looked like the shooter had him dead to rights. This is more notable considering how his puck handling could use some work. This was never more evident than in the game against the Springfield Thunderbirds on November 23rd, 2022, where Shepard mishandled the puck behind the net creating a turnover. This left the net wide open and gift wrapped for Thunderbirds left wing Greg Printz, but thanks to his outstanding athleticism Shepard was able to recover and make a diving glove save that was so unexpected that the goal judge still turned on the red light. This was even featured on SportsCenter’s top 10 list that night.

Despite his spectacular game play, Hunter Shepard is very soft spoken and humble. He doesn’t get overly excited about much, even when awarded the Bear Head from his teammates, a locker room tradition where the players decide the player of the game. He is much beloved by his teammates and fans. Fellow goaltender and teammate, Zach Fucale, even declared him the ‘greatest goaltender of all time’ when awarding him the bear head. Alternate Captain Mike Vecchione had this to say about Hunter Shepard during the Calder Cup playoffs “I don’t think he’s an animal- He’s a killer. He’s a silent killer. Once he’s in the zone, he’ll look right through you.”

Although goaltender Zach Fucale played more games in the regular season, Hunter Shepard was the clear choice for the Calder Cup Playoffs, playing all 20 games. He had 14 wins and 6 losses, and never lost in OT. He had a total of 523 shots against in the playoffs alone… which is crazy. He had a save percentage of 91.2 by the end of the playoffs. Most impressively, he led the team to a sweep against the Hartford Wolfpack in the Atlantic Division Finals, and an astounding 3 shutouts throughout the playoffs. He was awarded the AHL MVP in the Calder Cup championship, which was well deserved.

Photo Credit: The Hershey Bears

We look forward to ‘Shep Dadyy’s’ return between the pipes and setting new records.