Grand Rapids High School’s award winning duo from 2013-14 is being reunited in Duluth this fall.
Former Thunderhawks goaltender Hunter Shepard verbally committed to play for Minnesota Duluth in 2016-17, joining former teammate Avery Peterson, who transferred to the Bulldogs in January.
A full list of UMD recruits for 2016-17 and beyond can be found here.
Shepard, 20, of Cohasset, gives the Bulldogs three goaltenders now for 2016-17 alongside incoming freshman Hunter Miska and returning freshman Nick Deery. UMD lost its starter, sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo, to the Toronto Maple Leafs shortly after the 2015-16 season ended while backup Matt McNeely graduated.
Shepard is currently in his second junior season with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League. After posting a less than stellar 3.28 goals against average and .878 save percentage in 31 games a year ago, Shepard has emerged as one of the NAHL’s top netminders this season with a 1.90 GAA and .926 save percentage in 50 regular season games. He finished 34-11 with eight shutouts for the Bobcats, who won the Central Division and lead the Brookings Blizzard 2-0 in their first round NAHL playoff series.
Shepard won the Frank Brimsek Award as Minnesota’s top high school senior goaltender in 2013-14 after finishing with a 2.64 GAA and .918 save percentage for GRHS. That same year Peterson, a 2013 sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild, was Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey after scoring 37 goals and 30 assists in 27 games for the Thunderhawks.
Peterson transferred to UMD in January after a year and a half at Nebraska-Omaha. He’s been practicing with the Bulldogs, but isn’t eligible to play until January 2018. Peterson is appealing the NCAA for a hardship waiver to be eligible in the fall. Peterson left Omaha to be closer to his older brother, Evan, who is battling an extremely rare and terminal genetic brain disease called metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).