BISMARCK, ND – Former Bismarck Bobcats goaltender Hunter Shepard will make his National Hockey League debut for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night in New Jersey, according to Capitals head coach Spencer Carberry.
Shepard, who played for the Bobcats during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, joins an elite list of former Bismarck players to reach the highest level of professional hockey.
“It was an honor to have the privilege of coaching Hunter,” Bobcats head coach Layne Sedevie said. “What set him apart from others I’ve coached is the fact he knocked on my office door every morning and wanted to do extra. To see him finally get rewarded for his hard work, especially when everyone said he wouldn’t make it this far, shows what kind of person he is. He proved everybody wrong. He’s done that his whole life. For him to finally start a game in the National Hockey League is a dream come true, and proud moment for me and the entire Bobcats organization.”
With Bismarck, Shepard logged a career save percentage of .910 and goals against average of 2.50 through 94 games.
After his time with the Bobcats, Shepard became a regular starter at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Shepard was instrumental in the Bulldogs winning back-to-back national championships during his junior and senior seasons. In 119 games with the Bulldogs, the Cohasset, Minnesota native won 76 contests, posting 17 shutouts.
Following his collegiate career, Shepard signed with Washington as a free agent. Through 91 professional games between AHL Hershey and ECHL South Carolina, Shepard has posted a record of 54-26-9.
The 27-year-old makes his NHL debut tomorrow at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, as the Capitals (1-2-1) take on the New Jersey Devils (2-1-1). Puckdrop is scheduled for 6:30 pm central time. The game will be nationally televised on TNT.