The Washington Capitals announced that they recalled Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears on Thursday afternoon.
Shepard was needed on the NHL roster due to Darcy Kuemper being sick this morning.
NEWS | The Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears. https://t.co/IrVJ8YmCPR
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 7, 2024
Kuemper was scheduled to start against the Penguins but missed the morning skate. Spencer Carbery called Kuemper a game-time decision.
If Kuemper is unable to suit up, it’s unclear who the Capitals will start in net between Shepard and Charlie Lindgren as The Outlaw’s name has been swirling in trade rumors. The trade deadline is Friday at 3 pm.
Shepard returns to the Capitals for the first time since January 9 after being called up on December 30 due to a Lindgren injury. At the time of this recall, he was in Charlotte, NC with the rest of the Bears, preparing for a road back-to-back against the Checkers.
The 28-year-old goaltender has a record of 2-1-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in four starts with the Capitals this season. Shepard, the 2023 AHL Calder Cup playoffs MVP, won his NHL debut on October 25 against the New Jersey Devils. Shepard’s best appearance came on November 11 against the New York Islanders, where he stopped 36 of 37 shots and was named the game’s First Star of the Game in a 4-1 Capitals win.
Forming a successful goaltending duo with Clay Stevenson, Shepard has been dominant once again in Hershey this season, winning 21 of 26 games. He’s posted a 2.00 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage, and two shutouts. Shepard ranks second overall in the AHL in goals-against average and sixth in save percentage.
In an accompanying roster move, the Bears called up Mitch Gibson from the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays.
The @Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from Hershey. Goaltender Mitch Gibson has been re-assigned to Hershey from the @SCStingrays.
rabbittransit | Roster Moves
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) March 7, 2024
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard
Goaltender has 21 wins in 26 games with Hershey with a 2.00 goals-against average and .919 save percentage
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Shepard, 28, has a record of 2-1-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in four games with the Capitals this season. Shepard made his NHL debut and earned his first career win on Oct. 25 at New Jersey. On Nov. 11 against the New York Islanders, Shepard stopped 36 of 37 shots and was named the game’s First Star in a 4-1 Washington win. In 26 games with Hershey this season, Shepard has posted a record of 21-3-2 with a 2.00 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and two shutouts. Shepard ranks second in the AHL in in goals-against average, tied for third in wins and tied for sixth in save percentage.
Shepard appeared in 33 games with Hershey last season, posting a record of 20-8-5 with a 2.18 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and one shutout. The 6’0″, 219-pound goaltender ranked second among AHL goaltenders in goals-against average and tied for sixth in save percentage. Shepard, who was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, started all 20 playoff games for the Bears, posting a 14-6 record with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts en route to the franchise’s league-record 12th championship. In 71 career AHL games with Hershey, Shepard has a record of 49-14-7 with a 2.05 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and five shutouts.
A native of Cohasset, Minnesota, Shepard won back-to-back NCAA Championships with Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and 2019. In addition, he was twice named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Goaltender of the Year (2019 and 2020) and earned First-Team All-American honors in 2019 and Second-Team All-American honors in 2020. With Minnesota-Duluth, Shepard started an NCAA-record 115 straight games from Oct. 21, 2017 to March 7, 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.
