Calder Cup MVP Hunter Shepard to Make NHL Debut for Capitals Against Surging Devils

Fresh off an MVP Calder Cup run with the Bears, goaltender Hunter Shepard is set to make his NHL debut for the Capitals against the rising New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

It's a tall order for an NHL debut, but recent Calder Cup winner for the Hershey Bears Hunter Shepard finds himself up against the juggernaut New Jersey Devils.

Shepard is scheduled to man the net for the Capitals against the thriving Devils tonight.

Shepard, 27, was named the MVP of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs after leading the  Bears to the franchise’s league-record 12th championship in June. 

Shepard started all 20 of Hershey’s playoff games and posted a 14-6 record with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts. During the 2022-23 regular season, Shepard posted a record of 20-8-5 and ranked second in the AHL in goals-against average (2.18) and tied for sixth in save percentage (.916).

The 6’0”, 219-pound goaltender is 2-0-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .885 save percentage in two games with the Bears this season. In 47 career AHL games with Hershey, Shepard has a record of 30-11-5 with a 2.11 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage and three 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.