Shane Bowers (ice hockey)
Shane Bowers | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 30, 1999 Herring Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupation | Ice hockey forward |
| Known for | Playing for San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and San Jose Sharks (NHL) |
Shane Bowers (born July 30, 1999) is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is under contract with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 28th overall in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, Bowers did not play for Ottawa but has appeared with both the Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils.
Amateur
Originating from Herring Cove, Nova Scotia, Bowers began his hockey journey competing in Bantam and Major Midget leagues in Halifax. During the 2014–15 season, he earned MVP honors in the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League by leading in goals and total points. Although drafted by both the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League drafts, Bowers opted to develop his skills in the United States after being picked 38th overall by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the 2015 USHL Futures Draft.
In his debut USHL season (2015–16), Bowers tallied 15 goals and accumulated 33 points over 56 games, which secured him a place on the All-Rookie Second Team. The following season (2016–17), he committed to Boston University while boosting his output to 22 goals and 51 points across 60 games. This performance placed him tenth in league scoring and earned him a spot on the Third All-Star Team. Waterloo advanced to the Western Conference finals but were defeated by the Sioux City Musketeers.
Ranked 16th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, Bowers was chosen 28th overall by Ottawa during the 2017 NHL Draft. He began his collegiate career at Boston University in the 2017–18 NCAA season, scoring in each of his first three games and achieving his first multi-goal performance on October 14, 2017.
On November 5, 2017, Bowers’ NHL rights were transferred to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-team trade involving Matt Duchene. He completed his freshman year at Boston University with a total of 17 goals and 32 points over 40 games, earning a place on the Hockey East Rookie Team alongside teammate Brady Tkachuk. Additionally, he received an honorable mention for Hockey East all-star recognition.
During his sophomore year (2018–19), under new head coach Albie O'Connell, Boston University faced challenges and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Bowers ranked third on the team with 11 goals and fourth with 21 points in 37 games while serving primarily in a second-line capacity.
Professional
Following two seasons at Boston University, Bowers signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche on March 29, 2019, marking his transition to professional hockey. He immediately joined their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, on an amateur try-out contract to assist with their playoff campaign.
Bowers made his NHL debut with Colorado during the 2022–23 season on November 10, 2022; however, an injury curtailed his playing time. Upon recovery, he was reassigned to the Eagles where he contributed 14 points in 37 games before being traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Keith Kinkaid on February 25, 2023. Assigned to Boston’s AHL team, the Providence Bruins, he concluded that season with three goals and seven points over 20 appearances.
As a restricted free agent, Bowers was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Reilly Walsh on June 26, 2023. He inked a one-year two-way contract for the 2023–24 season but did not secure a spot on New Jersey’s NHL roster out of training camp and was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. After a brief recall in January 2024 during which he played three games, he returned to Utica. Following injuries that sidelined him for much of February and March, Bowers recorded a four-point game including two goals on March 30, 2024. Another recall came in April where he appeared in five NHL contests before finishing the season back with Utica, tallying six goals and eight points across 38 games.
On April 30, 2024, Bowers agreed to a two-year two-way contract extension with New Jersey.
In July 2025, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Thomas Bordeleau.
International play
Bowers made his international debut as the captain of Canada Black during the 2015 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He subsequently participated in the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he contributed one goal over four appearances for the Canadian junior squad.
During his second year with the Terriers, Bowers was selected to represent Canada at the 2019 World Junior Championships. Recognized for his dependable two-way performance, he played center on the third line and tallied two assists across five games. Canada's run ended in a quarterfinal overtime defeat to Finland, resulting in a sixth-place finish.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Halifax McDonald's | NSMMHL | 34 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 24 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 14 | ||
| 2015–16 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 56 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 16 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Waterloo Black Hawks | USHL | 60 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Boston University | HE | 40 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Boston University | HE | 37 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 48 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 28 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 37 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 37 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 2022–23 | Providence Bruins | AHL | 20 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 AHL season | Utica Comets | AHL | 43 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 AHL season | Utica Comets | AHL | 65 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Placement | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Canada Black | U17 | 8th place | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Canada | IH18 | Finished 5th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Canada | WJC | Ranked 6th | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior career totals | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| NSMMHL | |
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | 2015 |
| USHL | |
| All-Rookie Second Team selection | 2016 |
| Named to Third All-Star Team | 2017 |
| College | |
| HE All-Rookie Team honoree | 2018 |