Shepley hustled to Battalion debut

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Friday was one of the more hectic days of Zack Shepley’s hockey career.

The 20-year-old defenceman was acquired by the Brampton Battalion in a trade with the Plymouth Whalers that morning and, after traveling from Plymouth, arrived little more than an hour before the Troops’ Ontario Hockey League game Friday night against the visiting Niagara IceDogs.

Shepley had planned on watching the game from the stands but ended up in the lineup as the Battalion won 3-0 to extend a winning streak to four games.

“I knew I’d be traded but I didn’t know where,” Shepley said Saturday as the Battalion prepared to host the Sudbury Wolves at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“I was ready and, when I was told, I left right away. I was hoping to get here in time to watch but, when I got the word I could play, I thought that was great.”

Offseason back surgery kept Shepley out of the Plymouth lineup this season, so his Battalion debut was also the first game of his overage campaign.

“It’s been a long season being on the sideline, but I’m happy to be back,” said Shepley, who joins left wingers Luke Lynes and Graham McNabb in filling the Battalion’s overage quota.

“My first game was good. I didn’t really think about it a lot because it had been such a busy day. I wasn’t too nervous. I was a little rusty to start, but I thought I got more comfortable as the game went on.”

A native of Oakville, Ont., Shepley was Plymouth’s 10th-round pick in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection. He played 176 games over four seasons with the Whalers, scoring two goals and earning 20 assists for 22 points.

“It was an exciting day, but emotional too. I’d played my whole career in Plymouth, and it was time for a change. I couldn’t be happier to be in Brampton.”

The six-foot-four, 218-pound Shepley looks at himself as a defensive defenceman.

“I just look to get the puck out. I keep it simple and try to shut down the other team’s lines. I’m not too much of an offensive threat.”

Shepley likes what he sees of his new team.

“It looks like a great team, and I know we’ll be a contender in the Eastern Conference. I’m not far from home now. The guys have been very welcoming.”

Shepley was a member of the Whalers’ OHL championship team last season, earning one assist in the Memorial Cup tournament at Vancouver. He’s hoping to pass on that experience to the Troops.

“The Memorial Cup was the greatest time of my life, and I hope the other guys here get to experience what I did. We had to win four tough series to get there, and that experience is a big thing. You don’t think about it so much when you’re going through it, but later on you know how to deal with those situations.”