Shane Starrett signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers in April of 2017.
For the 2018-19 season, he posted a 27-7-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and four shutouts in 42 games with Bakersfield en route to being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.
This isn't Starrett's first playoff experience. He appeared in six Kelly Cup playoff games with Wichita in 2018 and went 2-4 with a 2.80 GAA, .915 save percentage and one shutout.
He also was a member of the Air Force Falcons 2016-17 Atlantic Hockey championship team.
Why did you choose to be a goaltender?
“When I was younger, we passed around the community goalie gear and everyone gave goalie a try. When I had my turn, I fell in love with it. I liked the position. Maybe I just wasn’t meant to be a forward (chuckles).”
What’s your most memorable moment from your time growing up in New England?
“One of the most memorable hockey experiences I had was when I was in eighth grade and won the Massachusetts state championship with Catholic Memorial School. My older brother Troy and I were on the team together. That was a pretty cool experience.”
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What do you remember most about it?
“Playing at TD Garden for the first time, being the only eighth-grader on the varsity team and being with my older brother. It was pretty cool to experience all of that.”
What led to your decision to go to Air Force Academy?
“They came to me, and I looked into their school and saw that it was a top academic school and it had a great hockey program. I looked into all of that and thought it would be a great fit for me. It turned out to be a good decision and I’m glad I went there.”
You helped lead the Air Force Falcons to the Atlantic Hockey championship in 2016-17, your sophomore season. What do you remember most about that experience?
“The group of guys in the locker room was unbelievable. All of the guys got along well. There was never a bad day when you went to the rink. It was always fun to play hockey with that team.”
What life lessons did you learn at Air Force Academy?
“A lot on the work ethic side. We didn’t have many of the top-end skill guys, yet we made it to the final eight in the NCAA tournament (in 2017). We weren’t a big team and we weren’t the most skilled team, but the guys showed up and worked, and we pulled off an upset against Western Michigan in the first game (of the NCAA East Regional) and were only one goal away from the Frozen Four.”
You played most of the 2017-18 season with the Wichita Thunder (ECHL). You spent almost all of this season in the American Hockey League with the Bakersfield Condors. How does the reality of pro hockey compare and contrast with your expectations?
“Growing up, you look forward to just playing hockey the whole time, and that’s all you think you’re going to be doing. You don’t think about all of the stuff that goes into it — the off-ice aspects of it and everything it takes to stay at this level and compete at this level.”
What has been your toughest challenge in life and hockey up to this point, and how did you overcome it?
“After high school, I bounced around in the United States Hockey League (with the Sioux Falls Stampede and Lincoln Stars) and had different college commitments. I moved around a lot (also spent time with the Portland Junior Pirates and South Shore Kings). Overcoming all of those things — the uncertainty in my career after high school — and being able to keep my work ethic up and finding a way to succeed at the college level and make it to the professional ranks (was my toughest challenge).”
Who did you talk to and lean on?
“My family has always been there. My parents (Peter and Anna) and brothers (Peter, Troy and Beau) were there to support me, and they still are. My brothers want to know how everything is going and how practices are going. They text me before and after each game and want to know what I thought about it. I know they are at home watching the games, and they call me after to give their thoughts about them.”
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“You can only control what you can control. All you can do is go out there and give your best effort. Whatever happens there happens. As long as you are giving everything you have, you have nothing to hang your head about.”
Key facts
Teams: Bakersfield Condors (AHL), Wichita Thunder (ECHL), Air Force Academy
Hometown: Bellingham, Mass. | Pos.: Goaltender | Catches: Left | Size: 6-5, 195 | Age: 24
Notable: Signed two-year contract with Edmonton Oilers in April 2017. In 2018-19 season, posted a 27-7-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and four shutouts in 42 games with Bakersfield en route to being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. Appeared in six Kelly Cup playoff games with Wichita in 2018 and went 2-4 with a 2.80 GAA, .915 save percentage and one shutout. Member of the Air Force Falcons 2016-17 Atlantic Hockey championship team.
Favorites
Food: “I’m a big seafood guy, so any chance I can I get lobster or shrimp.”
Movie: “The Other Guys”
TV show: “How I Met Your Mother”
Actor: Tom Hardy
Actress: Anna Kendrick
Musician: Sam Hunt
Vacation spot: Cape Cod
Book: Harry Potter series
Road minor-league rink: Budweiser Events Center (former ECHL, now AHL Colorado Eagles)
Road college rink: Tate Rink (Army)
Type of save: “A nice glove save”
Moment of career: “Playing in the NCAA tournament (in 2017). For the pro career, the Kelly Cup playoffs last year.”
Equipment
Mask: CCM
Glove: Vaughn
Blocker: Vaughn
Pads: CCM
Pants: Vaughn
Stick: CCM
Skates: Bauer
