ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Matthew Phillips and goaltender Hunter Shepard to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Phillips, 25, has recorded five points (1g, 4a) in 31 games with the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Phillips, who played 27 games for Washington before being claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on Feb. 16, was reclaimed by the Capitals on March 5. Phillips scored his first career NHL goal and tallied his first assist in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 16. Phillips has appeared in five games with Hershey this season, registering three points (1g, 2a).
Phillips, a Calgary native, was drafted by the Flames in the sixth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft and spent seven years in the Flames organization before signing with Washington last summer. In 34 career NHL games with the Capitals, Penguins and Flames, Phillips has recorded five points (1g, 4a).
Phillips recorded 76 points (36g, 40a) in 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in 2022-23. Phillips led the AHL's top-regular season team in scoring and ranked second in the AHL in goals and fifth in points. Phillips was named to the AHL's First All-Star Team last season and played in the AHL's All-Star Game in 2020. In 270 career AHL games, Phillips has registered 240 points (104g, 136a).
Shepard, 28, has a record of 2-1-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in four games with the Capitals this season. Shepard made his NHL debut and earned his first career win on Oct. 25 at New Jersey. On Nov. 11 against the New York Islanders, Shepard stopped 36 of 37 shots and was named the game’s First Star in a 4-1 Washington win. In 31 games with Hershey, Shepard has posted a record of 25-3-3 with a 1.80 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and five shutouts. Shepard leads the AHL in goals-against average and save percentage and ranks tied for third in wins and shutouts.
Shepard appeared in 33 games with Hershey last season, posting a record of 20-8-5 with a 2.18 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and one shutout. The 6'0", 219-pound goaltender ranked second among AHL goaltenders in goals-against average and tied for sixth in save percentage. Shepard, who was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, started all 20 playoff games for the Bears, posting a 14-6 record with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts en route to the franchise’s league-record 12th championship. In 76 career AHL games with Hershey, Shepard has a record of 53-14-8 with a 1.96 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and eight shutouts.
A native of Cohasset, Minnesota, Shepard won back-to-back NCAA Championships with Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and 2019. In addition, he was twice named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Goaltender of the Year (2019 and 2020) and earned First-Team All-American honors in 2019 and Second-Team All-American honors in 2020. With Minnesota-Duluth, Shepard started an NCAA-record 115 straight games
from Oct. 21, 2017 to March 7, 2020. Shepard finished his NCAA career as a three-time Mike Richter Award Finalist – given to the NCAA's top goaltender – and a three-time All-NCHC selection.
