Shepard’s skating ability is what immediately stands out as his first stride and range of gears allows him to have more time and space with the puck. He can edge quickly and accelerate effortlessly while masking his intentions prior to cutting to an open lane with good cohesion while carrying the puck with speed into the offensive zone. He is always in pursuit of the puck and wants to make an impact every shift. He keeps a simple approach with the puck and reads the ice well, showing some deceptive qualities and patience to allow for teammates to get open. His hands are smooth and there’s some deception and quickness to his abilities, but he does have the bad habit of sometimes trying to do too much in the wrong situations and not being strong on the puck. He displays good offensive instincts and playmaking abilities as an offensive sparkplug type player.  He’s good at spreading the puck around and creating plays and there’s growth opportunity with this aspect to his game as he develops a more commanding presence of the ice. As a smaller player, he will need to add strength and power to his frame and his game. Defensively, he is good at suffocating opponents and getting his stick into lanes while using his superior skating to defend his territory. Overall, an intriguing player to watch with high upside with the proper development if he can add some physicality to his game.

– FCHockey’s 2020 NHL Draft Guide