Shepard lead the Bears to a first place finish
Hershey Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard has won the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the American Hockey League's outstanding goaltender for the 2023-24 season.
After winning the 2022-23 Calder Cup and taking home Playoff MVP with Hershey, Shepard followed it up this season with a remarkable 27-4-3 record and .929 save percentage.
The award is decided by votes from players, staff and media from all 32 AHL teams.
Shepard was named to the AHL First All-Star Team and combined with goaltending partner Clay Stevenson to win the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for allowing the least amount of goals as a team.
The 28-year-old was signed by the Washington Capitals in 2020 after four successful seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he won back-to-back National Championships. His contract runs through the end of the 2024-25 season.
Shepard played four games with the Capitals this season and finished with a 2-1-1 record and .894 save percentage.
Although he may be stuck behind Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren on the depth chart Shepard's numbers have put him in a good position to push for more playing time at the next level.
The Bears earned a first round bye and will play the winner of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
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