Bears Sign Gentile, Shepard Heads to Taxi Squad

January 14, 2022

The Hershey Bears announced today that they have signed forward Derek Gentile to an American Hockey League contract for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. The Bears have assigned Gentile to the club's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. 

Gentile, 22, played for Dalhousie University this season, finishing his USports campaign with 27 points (15g, 12a) in 18 games. He led the team in goals and points, and tied for the team lead in plus/minus (+2). He scored seven power play goals, and added a pair of game-winning tallies.

Prior to USports action, the 5'9", 181-pound forward played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, finishing his career with the Cape Breton Eagles. He served as the captain of the club in 2019-20, scoring a career-best 57 points (25g, 32a) in 60 games. The native of Sydney, Nova Scotia finished with 228 points (91g, 137a) in 310 QMJHL games.

Additionally, the Washington Capitals announced today that goaltender Hunter Shepard has been recalled to the Taxi Squad. 

Shepard, 26, is 3-1-0 in four games with Hershey this season, sporting a 1.75 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. 

The Bears return to action on Saturday night versus the Toronto Marlies at GIANT Center. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and ticket information is available at HersheyBears.com.