Hunter Shepard signs two-year extension with Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Hunter Shepard to a two-year contract worth $775,000 per season.

Shepard recently finished as the AHL’s MVP after leading the Hershey Bears to the Calder Cup championship. Shepard had a 14-6-0 record with three shutouts and a .914 save percentage during the post-season, as well as a 20-8-5 run in 33 regular season games. It was Shepard’s first full season with the Bears after going 5-3-0 a year ago.

At 27, Shepard is already deep into his career. He played four years at the University of Minnesota Duluth, which included him as captain during the 2019-20 season. He was the NCHC’s goalie of the year in his final two seasons, which included two NCAA national titles and a NCHC tournament MVP award.

Shepard gives the team some extra goaltending depth after losing Zach Fucale earlier this week. The team also has Mitch Gibson, Clay Stevenson and Garin Bjorklund signed for next season to add to the goalie depth chart, with Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren manning the fort up front.

With a new deal, Shepard looks to become the top call-up option for the Capitals moving forward. The Caps struggled this season with a 35-37-10 record, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.