Ryan Shepard was introduced to hockey very early in his childhood. He learned to skate shortly after learning how to walk, and got a stick for his fourth birthday. He wasn’t a natural at this point but spent a lot of his time playing with his hockey gear when he wasn’t watching the SHL games his dad had on the tv. Being from Northern Alberta, little Shepard hounded his dad to take him to the outdoor rink when it wasn’t severely cold. There he would practice and ask his dad to give him coaching on how to improve. After his first winter with skates, Shepard became quite competent on them but still needed to work on stopping. During the summer months his dad would take him to the indoor rink sometimes, but most of the time little Shepard could only practice his stickwork in the driveway. This early on, he would practice shooting at an empty net, and carrying a puck around some pylons. He would move on from these simple drills quickly, however.