| James Sheppard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 25, 1988 Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks Minnesota Wild |
| NHL Draft | 9th overall, 2006 Minnesota Wild |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
James Sheppard (born on April 25, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing Career[]
Junior Playing Career[]
After growing up playing hockey in Hockey Nova Scotia's minor hockey system, James played for the Dartmouth Subways of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League (NSMMHL) in 2003–2004.
In his rookie season with the Subways, he scored 92 points in 61 games. That following summer, James was drafted 1st overall in the QMJHL draft by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
As the season progressed, he represented Team Atlantic at the World Under-17 Championship.
James wore the honour of team captain and scored 10 points in 6 games, leading his team to a bronze medal. Sheppard eventually finished the 2004–2005 QMJHL season 4th in team scoring with 45 points.
In January of 2006, James was one of ten QMJHL participants to represent Team Orr in the CHL Top Prospects game where he recorded one assist.
He went on to finish the 2005–2006 QMJHL season 2nd in team scoring with 84 points.
He wore the honour of team captain for the 2006–2007 season but was left off the roster of Team Canada for the 2006 IIHF World Under-20 Hockey Championship.
James was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (9th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
NHL Career[]
Career Statistics[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Dartmouth Subways | NSMMHL | 61 | 38 | 54 | 92 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 65 | 14 | 31 | 45 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2005–06 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 66 | 30 | 54 | 84 | 78 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2006–07 | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles | QMJHL | 56 | 33 | 63 | 96 | 62 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | ||
| 2007–08 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 78 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 82 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 64 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 34 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 32 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 256 | 12 | 41 | 53 | 120 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||
Personal Life[]
James attended Cavalier Drive School during his elementary and junior high years.
He lived with his teammate Darby Hendrickson during his rookie season of 2007-2008.
ATV Accident[]
On September 7, 2010, James was involved in an ATV accident which caused a fractured patella.
He and several other NHL players were on a guided tour in Vail, Colorado when James was forced to swerve off the ATV course due to an oncoming truck and eventually hit a tree.
The following day, James had knee surgery the following day, but he was suspended by the team due to a no ATV riding clause listed in his contract.
Because of his non-hockey related injury, it was announced on October 6, 2010 that James will be designated as an "injured non-roster player" for the 2010-2011 season.
Ten weeks after the accident, James appeared to the media to discuss the incident, saying that he was not fooling around on the ATV and that it was on a guided tour.
He was able to return to skating in mid-December, but was back off the ice again in late February due to soreness in his kneecap.