SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Hunter Shepard of the Hershey Bears is the winner Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's top goaltender for the 2023-24 season.
This award was voted for by coaches, players and the media in 32 cities of this division.
Coming off a season in which he won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, Shepard challenged the AHL record books in 2023-24 by posting a 27-4-3 record – the second-highest winning percentage (.838 ) in league history – in 34 appearances, with a 1.76 goals against average that was the fifth lowest mark ever recorded. He also led the league with a .929 save percentage and recorded five shutouts, tying Clay Stevenson for the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for fewest goals allowed by the team.
Also named a First Team AHL All-Star for 2023-24, Shepard ran his career record to 55-15-8 with a 1.94 GAA, .925 save percentage and eight shutouts in 79 games with the Bears . The native of Cohasset, Minn., also made his NHL debut this season, appearing in four games for the Washington Capitals. After a four-year stint at the University of Minnesota-Duluth that included back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019, Shepard joined the Bears on an AHL contract in 2020 and signed his first NHL contract with the Capitals on July 28, 2021.
The Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award, first presented in 1984, honors the former general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. They know Bastien, who played four seasons in goal with the AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets (1945-49) before a career-ending eye injury. Bastien would go on to serve as head coach and general manager of the Hornets, leading them to the 1967 Calder Cup championship. Previous award winners include John Casey (1985), Sam St. Laurent (1986), Mark Laforest (1987, 1991), Felix Potvin (1992), Corey Hirsch (1993), Jim Carey (1995), Manny Legace (1996), Martin Biron (1999), Dwayne Roloson (2001), Jason LaBarbera (2004, '07), Ryan Miller (2005), Michael Leighton (2008), Cory Schneider (2009), Jonathan Bernier (2010), Jake Allen (2014), Matt Murray (2015), Peter Budaj (2016), Troy Grosenick (2017), Garrett Sparks (2018), Alex Nedeljkovic (2019), Kaapo Kahkonen (2020), Logan Thompson (2021) and Dustin Wolf (2022, '23).
Operating since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and over the years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100 honorary members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The winner of the 2023-24 Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award (outstanding rookie) will be announced Thursday.
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