Hunter Shepard, one of the greatest goaltenders in Hershey Bears’ history and the Washington Capitals’ third-string netminder for the last few seasons, is moving on.
Wednesday, on the second day of NHL free agency, Shepard signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators.
Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis was first to report the news.
With Shepard out of the picture, Clay Stevenson will likely be the Hershey Bears’ number one starter next season.
Shepard’s tenure in the Capitals organization ends after backstopping the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024, and earning Playoff MVP honors in 2023. The 29-year-old goaltender helped Hershey set the new AHL record for most consecutive playoff series wins with 9, and during that stretch from 2023 through 2025, Shep won 30 of his 47 postseason games.
Shepard played parts of five seasons with the Bears overall, posting a 78-26-12 record with a 2.22 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. His numbers dipped slightly in 2024-25 despite a sparkling 23-11-4 record, seeing his save percentage fall below .900 to .891 for the first time as a Bear.
The Coleraine, Minnesota native also made five starts for the Washington Capitals over the last two NHL seasons, going 2-2-1 along with a 3.94 GAA and a .866 save percentage. He won his NHL debut on October 25, 2023, against the New Jersey Devils.
Shepard seemed to know his time in Hershey was likely over as he was one of the last players on the ice at Giant Center after the Bears were eliminated in the Atlantic Division Finals by the Charlotte Checkers.
Shepard will join former teammates Nick Jensen and Lars Eller, who signed on Tuesday, in Ottawa. Former Bear Garrett Pilon is the captain of the Bellesvile Senators.
