Conor Sheary

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Conor Sheary
Sheary with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs
Born (1992-06-08) June 8, 1992 (age 31)
Winchester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres
Washington Capitals
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present

Conor Michael Sheary (/ʃɛəri/ SHAIR-ee, born June 8, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014 and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in his first two seasons with the organization. Sheary has also played for the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals.

Playing career[edit]

Amateur[edit]

As a senior at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Sheary played in all 34 games leading the team in points with 28 on nine goals and a squad-best 19 assists.[1] Sheary's collegiate career highs include: 2 Goals – vs. Cornell (12/29/11); 3 Assists – 2x Last at Northeastern (1/4/14); 3 Points – 4x – Last at Northeastern (1/4/14).[1]

Professional[edit]

Undrafted, Sheary played collegiate hockey with the University of Massachusetts Amherst of the Hockey East. At the conclusion of his senior season with the Minutemen, Sheary made his professional debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL at the tail end of the 2013–14 season, and remained with the club into the post-season to produce 11 points in 15 games.

Sheary raises the Stanley Cup in Nashville, 2017.

On July 1, 2015, Sheary was signed to a two-year entry-level contract with the NHL affiliate of Wilkes-Barre, the Pittsburgh Penguins.[2]

Pittsburgh Penguins[edit]

In the following 2015–16 season, Sheary was recalled from the AHL to the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 15, 2015, and made his NHL debut on December 16, 2015, in a 3–0 loss against the Boston Bruins.[3][4] On December 18, 2015, he scored his first NHL goal on goaltender Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and registered his first NHL assist in the same game.

On March 13, 2016, Sheary recorded his first multi-goal game, scoring 2 goals against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden against goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. He would then record his first career playoff goal vs Lundqvist on April 21, 2016. On June 1, 2016, Sheary scored the game-winner, in overtime, to win against the San Jose Sharks 2–1 in the Stanley Cup Finals. On June 12, 2016, Sheary won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 3–1 victory against the San Jose Sharks.

In the 2016–17 NHL season, Sheary continued to play alongside Sidney Crosby for the entire year, getting 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points. Sheary got his first 3-point game on January 16, 2017, against the Washington Capitals. The Penguins won the game 8–7 in overtime, with Sheary scoring the overtime winner. The Pittsburgh Penguins later went on to win the Stanley Cup, giving Sheary his second Stanley Cup ring.

On July 30, 2017, the Penguins re-signed Sheary to a three-year, $9 million contract worth $3 million annually.[5]

Buffalo Sabres[edit]

On June 27, 2018, Sheary, along with teammate Matt Hunwick, were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. In doing so, the Penguins cleared over $5 million in salary cap space.[6] In the 2018–19 season, Sheary played in a top-nine forward role, contributing with 14 goals and 34 points through 78 games as the Sabres missed the post-season.

In the following 2019–20 season, his final season before approaching free agency, Sheary continued to play on the third-line, adding 9 goals and 19 points in 55 games.

Return to Pittsburgh[edit]

At the NHL trade deadline, Sheary was re-acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Evan Rodrigues in exchange for Dominik Kahun on February 24, 2020.[7] Sheary recorded 23 points in 63 games with the Buffalo Sabres and the Penguins during the season but remained unsigned into the offseason.

Washington Capitals[edit]

On December 22, 2020, Sheary signed a one-year, $735,000 contract as a free agent with the Washington Capitals.[8]

On April 14, 2021, Sheary agreed to a two-year, $3 million extension with the Capitals.

Tampa Bay Lightning[edit]

On July 1, 2023, Sheary agreed to a three-year, $6 million contract as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning, hours into the start of the NHL free agency.[9]

Personal life[edit]

Conor Michael Sheary was born June 8, 1992, in Winchester, Massachusetts to Kevin and Robin Sheary.[1] He grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts with his two sisters, Caitlin and Courtney.[1][10] Sheary dated Jordan Sullivan since their years at Cushing Academy in 2008.[11] They became engaged in March 2016 and were married in August 2018. They welcomed their first child, a daughter, in February 2021.[12]

In an interview in November 2017, Sheary admitted that commentators, fans, and players have been mispronouncing his name. His name is pronounced SHARE-ee not SHEER-ee.[13]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2007–08 Cushing Academy USHS 29 2 2 4 12 — — — — —
2008–09 Cushing Academy USHS 31 16 27 43 6 — — — — —
2009–10 Cushing Academy USHS 31 30 41 71 24 — — — — —
2010–11 UMass-Amherst HE 34 6 8 14 12 — — — — —
2011–12 UMass-Amherst HE 36 12 23 35 10 — — — — —
2012–13 UMass-Amherst HE 34 11 16 27 29 — — — — —
2013–14 UMass-Amherst HE 34 9 19 28 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 0 0 0 0 15 6 5 11 0
2014–15 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 58 20 25 45 8 8 5 7 12 2
2015–16 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 30 7 29 36 4 — — — — —
2015–16 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 44 7 3 10 8 23 4 6 10 8
2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 61 23 30 53 22 22 2 5 7 4
2017–18 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 18 12 30 10 12 0 2 2 2
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 14 20 34 12 — — — — —
2019–20 Buffalo Sabres NHL 55 9 10 19 8 — — — — —
2019–20 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 8 1 3 4 2 4 0 2 2 2
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 53 14 8 22 14 5 1 0 1 2
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 71 19 24 43 14 6 0 1 1 0
2022–23 Washington Capitals NHL 82 15 22 37 22 — — — — —
NHL totals 531 120 132 252 112 72 7 16 23 18

Awards and honors[edit]

Awards Year
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2016, 2017 [14][15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Conor Sheary Bio – University of Massachusetts Official Athletic Site". umassathletics.com. April 5, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Penguins sign forward Conor Sheary to two-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "Penguins Recall Goaltender Matt Murray and Forwards Conor Sheary and Kevin Porter". Pittsburgh Penguins. December 15, 2015.
  4. ^ "3 Impressions: Bruins 3, Pens 0". Pittsburgh Penguins. December 16, 2015.
  5. ^ "Penguins Agree to Terms with Forward Conor Sheary on Three-Year Contract". NHL.com. Pittsburgh Penguins. July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Penguins trade Sheary, Hunwick to Sabres for draft pick". sportsnet.ca. June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Penguins acquire Sheary and Rodrigues from Sabres in exchange for Kahun". Pittsburgh Penguins. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Capitals Sign Forward Conor Sheary". nhl.com. National Hockey League. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "Lightning sign forward, 2-time cup champion, Conor Sheary". Tampa Bay Lightning. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Lipovitch, Joe (June 13, 2016). "Winchester-Born Player's Heroics Help Penguins Lift Stanley Cup". patch.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  11. ^ "Conor Sheary's girlfriend Jordan Sullivan". Player Wives. June 2, 2016.
  12. ^ Conor Sheary (February 9, 2021). "Officially a #girldad and couldn't be happier about it!". Instagram. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  13. ^ JASON MACKEY (November 4, 2017). "Conor Sheary doesn't care if you mispronounce his name". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  14. ^ "Penguins win Stanley Cup, defeat Sharks in Game 6". National Hockey League. June 12, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champions". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

External links[edit]

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