Defenseman Shawn Evans was born on September 7, 1965 in Kingston, Ontario and was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the midst of his junior career with the Peterborough Petes. Just before his first professional season was to begin, Evans was traded by the Devils to the St. Louis Blues.
He played his first year of pro hockey with the Peoria Rivermen, the main minor league affiliate of the Blues, and was called up to St. Louis for seven games that year. Evans didn't register a point during his brief NHL stay.
On October 15th, 1986, the Blues traded Evans to the Edmonton Oilers for tough guy Todd Ewen. Evans spent the next two seasons with the Nova Scotia Oilers of the American Hockey League. With no future in Edmonton, Evans signed a free agent contract with the New York Islanders on June 20, 1988.
The '88-'89 campaign was spent with the Islanders farm club in Springfield, as was the majority of the following year. However, Evans did get a call-up from the Islanders, playing two games and scoring what would prove to be his only NHL goal.
Though he signed two more NHL contracts, with the Boston Bruins and the Hartford Whalers, Evans didn't make it back up to the NHL during his career. He spent nine more seasons in minor-pro, including a year in Italy, after his time with the Islanders. Evans' last year was spent in the United Hockey League, playing eleven games for the Mohawk Valley Prowlers.