The goaltending situation for the AHL’s Hershey Bears has been anything but stable to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Hunter Shepard, the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs MVP and regular number one netminder, has missed the team’s first two games of the season with an illness.
Shepard’s absence has been compounded by the Washington Capitals having their own issues in net in the NHL. Darcy Kuemper missed Opening Night due to the birth of his first child and Charlie Lindgren suffered an injury right before the Capitals’ second game.
All of that has meant Clay Stevenson, Shepard’s expected backup this year, has been ferried back and forth between the two teams on an almost daily basis.
The Bears got some good news on Wednesday though as Shepard returned to the ice for practice.
Some good news to start your Wednesday: Hunter Shepard is practicing today as well as Mitch Gibson between the pipes. pic.twitter.com/ScFPBp7yN4
— Bears Hockey Nation (@HBHNationBlog) October 18, 2023
With Stevenson traveling with the Capitals for two upcoming games in the NHL, the Bears got a sight for sore eyes when Shepard hit the ice again as the team prepares for three games in three nights this weekend. Shepard got into 53 total games for Hershey last year across the regular season and playoffs. The 27-year-old former Minnesota-Duluth backstop looked miserable fighting through the flu when RMNB’s Ian Oland saw him downstairs in the hallway after the Hershey Bears’ Home Opener.
The Bears also announced that they have recalled goaltender Mitchell Gibson from the South Carolina Stingrays and sent down Garin Bjorklund in his place. With Hershey set for a road back-to-back-to-back, the older and more polished Gibson could see his professional debut against either the Providence Bruins or Bridgeport Islanders.
Goaltender Mitch Gibson has been re-assigned to the Bears, while netminder Garin Bjorklund has been re-assigned to the @SCStingrays.
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 18, 2023
In his last year as Harvard’s number one in net, Gibson posted a 18-7-2 record with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. For his efforts, he earned All-ECAC Hockey Second Team Honors. The 24-year-old Pennsylvania native was drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Bjorklund turned pro last year after a Canadian major junior career spent with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. The 21-year-old 2020 sixth-round draft selection had back surgery early in the campaign which limited him to just one game near the end of the season. South Carolina gets their season underway on October 21 and Bjorklund is expected to be the starter for them against the Orlando Solar Bears.
Hershey will have one more day of practice before they get on the road to Providence for Friday’s 7:05 pm puck drop.
Here’s the team’s release on their goaltending roster moves:
MITCH GIBSON JOINS BEARS, GARIN BJORKLUND RE-ASSIGNED TO STINGRAYS
(Hershey, PA – October 18, 2023) – The Hershey Bears and the Washington Capitals announced today that goaltender Mitch Gibson has been re-assigned to Hershey, while goaltender Garin Bjorklund has been re-assigned to South Carolina (ECHL).
Gibson, 24, is in his rookie season after playing the previous three campaigns at Harvard University. The Pheonixville, Pennsylvania native owned a 18-7-2 record with a 2.25 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and three shutouts last year at Harvard, guiding the school to a NCAA Tournament appearance. He earned All-ECAC Hockey Second Team Honors.
In 80 career NCAA games at Harvard, Gibson went 45-25-6, with a 2.32 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage, and six shutouts.
Bjorklund, 21, was limited to just one game last season in his first year in the professional ranks due to back surgery. The Calgary, Alberta native won his lone contest for South Carolina on Apr. 15 versus Jacksonville, prevailing 5-4 in a shootout.
Prior to turning pro, Bjorklund skated with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers, playing 96 career games, with a 40-48-4 record, a 3.50 goals-against average, and a .892 save percentage.
The Bears return to action this weekend with three games on the road. Hershey visits Providence on both Friday and Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. before finishing the weekend in Bridgeport with a 3 p.m. contest with the Islanders. Games will air on the Bear Radio Network and AHLTV.
Headline photo: Tori Hartman / Hershey Bears
