Humble Beginnings, Hard Work Has Hunter Shepard In The NHL For First Time

HERSHEY, Pa. - In terms of professional goaltending, it's not really where you start, but it's more about making the most of chances and opportunities afforded to you by hard work and of course, a little chance.

Such is the case for Hershey's Hunter Shepard whose story is a bit of an unorthodox one with a little bit of chance thrown in the mix.

His road to Hershey began in Bovey, Minnesota, a town of less than 1,000 that is also home to Adam Hauser, goaltender for the University of Minnesota when the team won back-to-back national championships in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003.

"His mom and dad lived like two blocks from me, so I went to his mom's daycare," Shepard said of his familiarity with the Hauser family.

From there, the goaltender, who admitted to having no professional hockey players in his family tree, said that there was a rink in the backyard and a basement where his father, a former high school baseball coach, would shoot baseballs, not pucks at him.

"He had two buckets of baseballs," which Shepard admitted might not have come at him and the cement wall nearly as fast as pucks do in the AHL.

Those humble beginnings and chances afforded to players during the COVID-19 pandemic have kept Shepard grounded and also allowed him to be one half of the best goaltending duo in the AHL. Their performances have also helped the Hershey Bears get off to one of their best starts in franchise history.

While much of the credit for that goes to Shepard and Zach Fucale, the rather soft-spoken duo off the ice are both quick to credit the work of the defense and the coaching staff for their successes so far.

Just how successful have they been? Shepard, the AHL'' goaltender of the month for November, and Fucale were ranked second and third respectively in goals-against average (GAA) at the start of the week. Shepard was second in save percentage as well; Fucale was currently 19th. Then there's that save - the one that ended up second on Sports Center's Top 10 list.

While fans saw a terrific save, Shepard was a bit more critical of himself, something Todd Nelson alluded to in a post-game press conference.

"Like it's embarrassing on the one hand I'm like Christmas-wrapping a free goal. I don't really go out there that much, it's something I've been working on, so yeah, that was my mistake. I'm just glad that I didn't cost us again because we scored right after that, but what happens if that one goes in?"

For his part Fucale, who was backing Shepard up that night in Springfield, said, "I was kind of like... [just] no words. I couldn't believe it. My jaw kind of dropped. I looked at the score [at] that time [and] I was like, okay wow this is a big moment. Everybody was pretty fired up."

Fucale, who said he's played for 12 teams in his career over several organizations as well as time in Switzerland and Germany, is no stranger to the attention that Shepard is receiving now. Last season, he had his own limelight when he set an NHL record for most shutout minutes by a goaltender at the start of his career.

Fucale, still the record holder, said, "Yep. I had a couple of great little weeks there for sure."

Now it's Shepard's turn, both in the limelight and with a recall to Washington - joining the team on their western road trip after an injury to Darcy Kuemper.

And while both have mostly enjoyed their moments in the spotlight, it's their work ethic and humble demeanors, the reminders of the journeys they have had and the obstacles they have overcome leading them to Hershey this season, that are pretty remarkable off the ice.

For example, both players are quick to point out that they've had some excellent coaches within the Washington/Hershey organization, especially Alex Westlund.

"Alex Westlund helped my game a ton when he was here, and [I'm] super happy for him that he has an NHL job now. Juha Lehtola is great this year. Their styles are a little bit different, but the more people you work with, the more you can learn," Shepard said.

After a recent practice where Lehtola pulled off his gloves and got on the ice to correct pad positioning, Fucale also mentioned Lehtola's efforts as well as those of Westlund and several other goaltending coaches.

"So far it's been really good; Juha comes from a completely different situation in Europe and he gels well with how I play the game and our conversations have been very good," Fucale said., adding, "I think that speaks to how we work well as a whole kind of... we call it the goalie department. So with Scottie in Washington and Juha here, Westie last year, and Olie Kolzig also working with us, we're going to have success."

Shepard and Fucale both acknowledged that they are reaping the rewards of a great defensive scheme in front of them.

"To be honest with you, we have to give them a lot of credit in terms of the whole team, the defensive core, yes, they've been fantastic. But as a whole team, I think the commitment is really, really, really strong," Shepard said. "The staff has given us some clear boundaries, and the team has some very high standards defensively, and I think that helps us goaltenders have a clearer image of what's going on and just limiting chances against helps us a lot."

But a good defense not allowing pucks to the net can also be a bit of a concern for goalies.

"That's been one of our challenges this year where our team doesn't give up that many shots. I think we're running in the top of the league, and that's definitely great for team success, but as goaltenders, for us, it's about keeping that focus and keeping your energy in the right place, keeping your game sharp. And that's the big challenge," Shepard told InsideAHLHockey.com. It's definitely hard when you don't get as much action."

For Nelson, where the two started and their journeys here aren't nearly as important as the present. "As a coach, it's nice having a goaltending duo with you that you have trust in both guys," he said.

And for the duo themselves, they're almost two halves of the same whole.

"It's perfect," Shepard said of the relationship between himself and Fucale. "He never stops talking and I don't talk at all."

Fucale disagreed with that assessment a bit though saying that he doesn't talk all of the time. "He's got a good sense of humor and that kind of fits well. I mean every day we're working and we have a good time."

For now the duo has been split up with the goaltender from Bovey, Minnesota joining the Capitals on their westward trip.

And while a week ago Shepard said, "I'm just happy to be in one place this year," alluding to splitting time between South Carolina and Hershey the past two years, it's a safe bet that he's okay with this current relocation, for as long as it lasts.