Hunter Markus Shepard (born November 7, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Growing up in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Shepard attended Grand Rapids High School where he played prep school hockey and baseball. In his senior year, he received a Minnesota Minute Men Mr. Hockey Award and joined the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). After two seasons with the Bobcats, during which he won their Goaltender of the Year award, he was approached by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (UMD) to be their third goaltender.
Shepard played four seasons of NCAA Division I with the Bulldogs, setting various records as the team's co-captain. He became the first goaltender captain since Rick Heinz in 1976 and received the 2018 Keith Christiansen Award as UMD's Most Valuable Player. Shepard started in over 105 consecutive games for the Bulldogs, setting a new NCAA record, and became the first netminder in a half century to lead his club to two consecutive NCAA titles. As a result of his achievements, he was selected as an AHCA All-American twice, received the NCHC Goaltender of the Year Award twice, was named NCHC Tournament MVP and a finalist for the Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender across collegiate hockey.
Early life Shepard was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, to parents Mark and Terri on November 7, 1995. Growing up, he was placed in a daycare run by the mother of Adam Hauser, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers' starting goaltender. He would use a goaltending glove to catch softballs in the Hausers' living room and credits Hauser for encouraging him to become a goalie. Since no one in his family played hockey, his father and uncle coached him in baseball. He began playing competitive hockey at the age of five or six.
Playing career Youth While attending Grand Rapids High School, Shepard played prep school hockey as a goaltender and baseball as an infielder and pitcher. In his final year at the school, Shepard and teammate Avery Peterson became the first pair from the same school to receive Minnesota Minute Men Mr. Hockey Award recognition in the same season. Upon graduating, he remained undrafted into the NHL and was not awarded any scholarships to play collegiate hockey. He had been drafted by the Lincoln Stars of the Tier 1 level United States Hockey League (USHL) but chose not to play with the team for he was not given a goaltending coach. Instead, he reached out to head coach Layne Sedevie of the Bismarck Bobcats in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) to see if there was a spot for him on their roster.
Shepard made his debut with the Bobcats during the 2014–15 season, where he let in seven goals on 25 shots including three on his first four shots. At the conclusion of his first year with the Bobcats, Shepard played in 31 games and yielded a 14-14-1 record, a 3.28 goals-against average (GAA) and a .878 save percentage. In his second season with the team, Shepard improved to a 34–11–3 record, setting a then franchise record in wins, along with a 1.90 GAA and .926 save percentage. As a result, he was selected to Team Central at the 2016 Top Prospects Tournament where he recorded a 1.99 GAA and named NAHL's January Goaltender of the Month. During the month of January, Shepard led the Bobcats to first place in the Central Division by winning all eight games he started while facing 241 shots over that same span. Following his second season with the Bobcats, being his last year of junior eligibility, Shepard was approached by the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs to be their third goaltender. His signing had been a last-minute move due to sophomore goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo leaving to sign a professional contract. When asked in hindsight about what would have happened if Minnesota-Duluth had not approach him, Shepard said he would have likely attended a Division III school and played hockey and baseball.
Collegiate Shepard played for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) while majoring in marketing. He made his collegiate debut in a 3–1 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on October 15, 2016, where he stopped 35 shots. His save count was the most by a Bulldog goalie in his first collegiate appearance since October 26, 1991. His second appearance occurred on March 3, 2017, as a reliever to starter Hunter Miska in the second period against the Western Michigan Broncos. As the team qualified for the 2017 Frozen Four tournament, Shepard dressed for the Bulldogs' four tournament appearances.
Returning to the Bulldogs for his sophomore season, Shepard initially battled for the starting goaltender position with Ben Patt and Nick Deery following the departure of Miska. Head coach Scott Sandelin told each goaltender that they would each have a period to prove themselves during their season opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Shepard played during the second period where he stopped all 10 shots he faced. Eventually earning himself the starter spot, the Bulldogs found themselves at the bottom of the NCHC standings with a record under .500. Despite this, head coach Scott Sandelin credited Shepard's support for the team's uprise over the second half of the 2017–18 season. As the Bulldogs slowly climbed the standings, Shepard set two new UMD records during a February game against Western Michigan for most shutouts by a goaltender in a single season (6) as well as consecutive shutouts (3). By April, Shepard held a .924 save percentage and 1.95 GAA as the team earned a 2018 Frozen Four tournament qualification against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Bulldogs beat the Buckeyes 2–1 whereas Shepard was selected to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and named the Most Valuable Player. The Bulldogs then faced Notre Dame in the tournament final where he made 19 saves in an eventual 2–1 win for their second NCAA National Championship title in program history. He finished the season with a 25–14–1 record, boasting a 1.91 GAA and .925 save percentage, the latter being a new UMD single season record. As a result of his play, Shepard was named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award and received the Keith Christiansen Award as UMD's Most Valuable Player.
During the offseason prior to his junior year at Minnesota-Duluth, Shepard was invited to participate at the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres' development camps. He returned to the Bulldogs for the 2018–19 season unsigned to a professional contract and was named to the six-man Preseason All-NCHC Team. Shepard posted a 29–11–2 record over the course of his junior campaign, ranking first overall in wins and second in shutouts with seven. As a result, he concluded the season having started a program-record 81 consecutive games and earned a spot on the NCAA Frozen Four, the NCAA Midwest Regional and NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Teams. He also earned his first NCHC Goaltender of the Year Award and NCHC Three Stars Award. As the Bulldogs entered the postseason, Shepard was named a AHCA First Team All-American, the first UMD goaltender since Alex Stalock, and a final five finalist for the Mike Richter Award. During the 2019 Frozen Four, Shepard posted his seventh shutout against the UMass Minutemen, likewise registering a nation-leading 29th win in the process. He then led the team to a second consecutive NCAA National Championship title and received his second Keith "Huffer" Christiansen Award as UMD MVP.
Upon capturing their second NCAA National Championship title, Shepard immediately told the team he would return for his senior year, explaining: "most people might have thought that (he would go pro), but it was an easy decision for me. I grew up in Minnesota, my family is here, I love my teammates, the coaching staff. And I made a commitment to come here to play for four years. That means something to me." Thereafter, he was named co-captain of the Bulldogs with Nick Wolff, thus becoming the Bulldogs' first goaltender captain since Rick Heinz in 1976. With his 61st career win against the Colorado College Tigers on November 27, 2019, Sheparde set a new UMD record for most wins by a goaltender surpassing alumnus Rick Kosti and Taras Lendzyk. On January 25, 2020, he started his 105th consecutive start for the Bulldogs, setting a new NCAA record for a goaltender. The following month, Shepard was named one of 20 goaltenders longlisted for that year's Mike Richter Award. Despite the season being abruptly cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepard nonetheless was selected as an AHCA Second-Team All-American. He also received his second Goaltender of the Year Award and earned the University of Minnesota Duluth's Outstanding Male Senior Athlete Award. He left the Bulldogs as one of their most decorated goaltenders in program history.
Professional
Shepard officially concluded his collegiate career on June 25, 2020, by signing a two-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Hershey Bears. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AHL season did not start until February 5, 2021. As such, Shepard was re-assigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL in early December 2020. Shepard quickly mirrored his collegiate success during the ECHL's opening month, posting a 2–0–1 record with a 1.89 GAA and a save percentage of .935 over three appearances including his first professional win on December 18 against the Jacksonville Icemen. As a result of his success, Shepard was named ECHL Goaltender of the Month of December. He eventually made his AHL debut with the Hershey Bears on May 2, 2021, against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms stopping all 28 shots to secure a shutout victory for his team. Upon returning to the ECHL, Shepard received the league's Goaltender of the Week honors after going 3–0–0 with a shutout, a 1.33 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Entering the 2021 ECHL playoffs, Shepard helped lead the Stingrays to that year's Kelly Cup Finals against the Fort Wayne Komets who ultimately won the best-of-three series. On the back of a successful season, Shepard was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Bears main NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, on July 28, 2021.