Shane Gersich

Shane Gersich (born July 10, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for HC Bolzano of the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL). 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, to parents Frank and Sharlene. He was born into a hockey playing family, as his uncles Neal, Aaron, and Paul Broten all played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

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). 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. He was also selected to represent Team USA at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games. 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. 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. 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.

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). He finished the season with 28 assists and 34 assists for 62 points through 24 games. Following this, he was also invited to participate in the second annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game.

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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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

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

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 2023–24 Västerås IK Allsv 48 19 13 32 10 — — — — — 2024–25 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 51 16 21 37 38 — — — — — 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 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