Shane Gersich
Gersich with the Hershey Bears in 2023
Born (1996-07-10) July 10, 1996
Chaska, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
Allsv team
Former teams		 Västerås IK
Washington Capitals
NHL Draft 134th overall, 2014
Washington Capitals
Playing career 2018–present

Shane Gersich (born July 10, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey winger currently playing for Västerås IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan (Allsv). Gersich was selected 134th overall by the Washington Capitals at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Gersich was born on July 10, 1996, in Chaska, Minnesota,[1] to parents Frank and Sharlene.[2] He was born into a hockey playing family as his uncles Neal, Aaron, and Paul Broten all played in the National Hockey League (NHL).[3]

Playing career

Amateur

Gersich attended Holy Family Catholic High in Minnesota before moving to the United States Hockey League with the Omaha Lancers and the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP).[1] He was recruited to enrol at Holy Family Catholic in the eighth grade by coach Noel Rahn with the aim of leading the fledgeling program rather than joining an established one.[4] As an eighth grader, Gersich tallied 16 goals and 23 assists through the 2010–11 Minnesota State High School League regular season. Due to the hockey teams' success, Holy Family Catholic opted to move from Class 1A to 2A for the 2011–12 season.[5] He was also selected to represent Team USA at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games.[6] As a freshman at Holy Family Catholic, Gersich accumulated 30 goals and 30 assists and was subsequently offered an opportunity to play with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program for the 2012–13 season. However, he turned down the offer and was drafted first overall by the Omaha Lancers in the 2012 United States Hockey League Futures Draft.[7] During the summer following the draft, Gersich again represented Team USA at the international level to help them win gold at the U-17 Five Nations tournament.[8] Although he injured his shoulder during the tournament, Gersich skated with Team Southwest in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League but sat out the final several weeks of the season.[9]

Gersich returned to Holy Family Catholic for his sophomore year in the 2012–13 season. By December 2012, he shared the scoring lead with six goals and nine assists for 15 points through seven games. As such, he was recruited by numerous Division 1 programs before committing to a collegiate career with the University of North Dakota of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).[10] He finished the season with 28 assists and 34 assists for 62 points through 24 games.[1] During the season, Gersich also played six games with the Omaha Lancers where he recorded one goal before choosing to join the NTDP for the 2013–14 season.[11] Following this, he was also invited to participate in the second annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game.[12]

Upon joining the NTDP, Gersich continued to flourish and quickly accumulated 14 goals and 27 points by March 2014. He credited his easy transition to the coaching of Danton Cole and John Gruden.[3] Upon graduating from the University of Nebraska High School, Gersich was drafted in the fifth round, 134th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[2] Following the draft, he spent the entirety of the 2014–15 season with the Omaha Lancers, where he quickly flourished. By February 2015, Gersich led the team with 24 goals in 39 games, to rank sixth in the USHL.[13]

Collegiate

Following his first full season with the Lancers, Gersich began his collegiate career with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey team while majoring in communication.[2] Upon joining the team, Gersich made an immediate impact during their exhibition games as he scored twice in 12 seconds to earn the Fighting Hawks a win over Manitoba. He then scored his first collegiate goal in the team's home opener against Lake Superior State.[14] As his freshman season continued, Gersich ranked third among UND freshmen with nine goals through 37 games as he helped lead the team the national championship.[2]

Professional

Following his junior season with the Fighting Hawks in 2017–18, Gersich signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 23, 2018.[15] He immediately joined the Capitals roster for the remainder of the season and made his professional debut, going scoreless, in a 3–2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers on March 28, 2018.[16] Despite going scoreless in his debut, Gersich earned his first NHL point in his third NHL game on April 7, in a 5–3 win over the New Jersey Devils.[17] After Tom Wilson was suspended in the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs Gersich played in Games 4 and 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup.

Following their Stanley Cup run, the Capitals re-signed Gersich to a one-year, two-way contract with a cap hit of $700,000.[18]

Out of contract with the Capitals following the 2021–22 season, Gersich opted to remain within the organization in signing a one-year AHL contract with the Hershey Bears on August 25, 2022.[19] In the 2022–23 season, Gersich added 9 goals and 23 points through 53 regular season games. He featured in 6 post-season games with the Bears to help the club claim their 12th Calder Cup Championship.

Following five seasons with the Bears, Gersich as a free agent signed his first contract abroad in agreeing to a one-year deal with Swedish second tier club, Västerås IK of the Allsvenskan, on June 23, 2023.[20]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2010–11 Holy Family Catholic USHS 23 16 23 39 20 2 0 2 2 0
2011–12 Holy Family Catholic USHS 20 30 30 60 21 1 0 0 0 0
2012–13 Holy Family Catholic USHS 24 28 34 62 35 1 0 0 0 2
2012–13 Omaha Lancers USHL 6 1 0 1 19 — — — — —
2013–14 U.S. National Development Team USHL 26 8 8 16 4 — — — — —
2014–15 Omaha Lancers USHL 52 27 23 50 32 3 1 1 2 0
2015–16 U. of North Dakota NCHC 37 9 2 11 16 — — — — —
2016–17 U. of North Dakota NCHC 40 21 16 37 20 — — — — —
2017–18 U. of North Dakota NCHC 40 13 16 29 18 — — — — —
2017–18 Washington Capitals NHL 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0
2018–19 Hershey Bears AHL 66 8 16 24 57 9 1 2 3 6
2019–20 Hershey Bears AHL 54 10 8 18 24 — — — — —
2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 33 6 8 14 39 — — — — —
2021–22 Hershey Bears AHL 71 14 20 34 60 — — — — —
2022–23 Hershey Bears AHL 53 9 14 23 16 6 1 0 1 0
NHL totals 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States U16 6 3 1 4 6
2014 United States U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 2
Junior totals 13 3 1 4 8

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
NCHC Honorable Mention All-Star Team 2017
AHL
Calder Cup 2023 [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Shane Gersich". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Shane Gersich". University of North Dakota. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Olsen, Becky (March 11, 2014). "Player Feature - Gersich Bucks the Family Trend". USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ Orenstein, Walker (August 31, 2012). "A man on fire". MN Boy' Hockey Hub. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ Nelson, Loren (March 24, 2011). "High-class decision". MN Boy' Hockey Hub. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Three Minnesota players on U.S. under-16 team". MN Boy' Hockey Hub. November 4, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Gersich chosen No. 1 in USHL Draft". swnewsmedia.com. May 2, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Gersich helps USA to gold medal". swnewsmedia.com. August 13, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  9. ↑ Nelson, Loren (November 15, 2012). "Scout's paradise". MN Boy' Hockey Hub. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nelson, Loren (December 20, 2012). "Gersich picks North Dakota". MN Boy' Hockey Hub. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Gersich Added to U.S. Men's National Under-18 Team Roster". USA Hockey National Team Development Program. June 25, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ "USA Hockey announces prospect game rosters". National Hockey League. September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ Beideck, Steve (February 22, 2015). "Gersich in the groove for Lancers". Omaha World Herald. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Prospect Report: Off to a strong start". NBC Sports. October 15, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Capitals sign Shane Gersich". Washington Capitals. 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  16. ↑ "Capitals top Rangers in OT". National Hockey League. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  17. ↑ "Ovechkin locks up scoring title, Capitals beat Devils 5-3". cbssports.com. April 15, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Capitals Re-sign Shane Gersich". National Hockey League. June 19, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Gersich returns to Hershey on a AHL deal". Hershey Bears. August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Newly crowned AHL champion signs with VIK" (in Swedish). Västerås IK. June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Sweeter by the dozen: Hershey wins 12th Calder Cup". American Hockey League. June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
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