Hershey Bears Took Stride Forward, Even Following Early Playoff Exit

In the second period of Game Four, the Hershey Bears had a power play in a 1-1 game and a chance to seize the momentum of the elimination game. On an odd-man rush, Andrew Cristall missed the net, and it set up a rush chance the other way that the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins took advantage of, scoring a shorthanded goal on their way to a 4-1 victory. “Bruno’s (Harrison Brunicke) goal was a coach's nightmare right up until the goal. I think both coaches can say that it was a gong show,” Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald stated after the game. It was a turning point, and the Bears never recovered.

“That’s how it’s been all year. It seems like we’re on teams, we’re putting pressure on them, we miss, we hit a post, we shoot wide, they come back the other way and put a puck in the net,” Derek King mentioned after the loss. It’s hard to find a moment that embodies a season but that sequence did a good job for the Bears, where they made the right plays and then the mistakes at the worst times cost them their season. 

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That 4-1 loss in Game Four ended the Bears' season, and they lost the series 3-1 to their I-81 Pennsylvania rival. It’s a sudden end and not up to the standards of Chocolate Town, where it’s Calder Cup or bust. Yet, considering how the season played out and how their final series played out, it’s hard not to look back and acknowledge the progress they made; it’s certainly how the optimistic King always felt. 

This season was the start of a new era in Hershey. Many of the veterans who were staples of the Calder Cup-winning teams in 2023 and 2024 left in the summer, and Todd Nelson, the head coach who guided the team to those titles, moved on to the NHL as the Pittsburgh Penguins' assistant. The Bears were a young team, and they knew there would be growing pains. 

The Bears stumbled out of the gate, and it took a few months to find their identity and lean into it. The new-look team was built around two rookies who would lead the team in points, Cristall and Ilya Protas, who was named the Rookie of the Year in the American Hockey League. They carried the offense, and as they learned the 200-foot game, the team matured. 

It’s why the Bears looked like a team that could go on a run when the playoffs got underway. Their prospects led a dynamic top line that, along with 24-year-old Bogdan Trineyev, scored seven of the team’s 15 goals in the playoffs. With a top line that was tough to stop and the rest of the team coming into form, the Bears upset the Bridgeport Islanders in a two-game sweep and gave the Penguins all they could handle. “I liked our compete. I’m proud of these guys for coming a long way,” King mentioned after the season-ending loss. 

When King was asked after Game Four if he had any regrets about how the series went, he simply shook his head and said, “Nope.” While he could have handled things differently, from line matching to leaning on his top line more, he was proud of how the team played and the effort they put together. King was talking about the game but it applies to the season as well, where they were a much-improved team by the end. 

This was a return to the AHL for King. He coached the Rockford IceHogs earlier in the decade and then joined the Chicago Blackhawks staff until last season. The AHL is a different league, a tougher league to coach, and many coaches learn about it on the fly. King comes from that experienced NHL background, and like Pascal Vincent, John Gruden, and Greg Cronin, they know what it takes to make it to the NHL.

However, that time in the NHL also makes experienced coaches forget about where the AHLers are in their development. King had to adjust this season, realizing how young some of the Bears were and how much they had to learn before they were ready for the next level. 

“I think the biggest thing I learned is I got to be a little more patient with these young guys,” King mentioned after the latest game. A penalty or a defensive zone breakdown is frustrating for a head coach. Cristall’s missed goal and his play throughout the season can give a coach fits, and presumably, it gave King plenty of headaches. That said, it’s part of the journey of an AHL season and for a prospect to play at the NHL level. King adapted by the end of the season, and it’s why he’s coming into next season prepared to kick off the ground running from day one. 

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King was already looking ahead to the next season after the playoff exit. With the progress the Bears made, it’s easy to be optimistic. However, every summer brings with it plenty of turnover, and this team won’t be the same. 

It’s unlikely Protas is on the Bears next season, as he’ll be on the Washington Capitals and likely centering the second or third line. Cristall has enough skill to make the Capitals out of camp but he still must round out his game, so there’s a good chance King will have him around. Trineyev, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and goaltender Clay Stevenson are borderline NHLers, so King might have both players but there’s a good chance he doesn’t. 

Then come the veterans. It’s no secret that many of them will be on the way out this offseason. The Bears needed more from their veterans and will likely spend big to attract the top AHL journeyman to win a Calder Cup. This is what put them in a better position to win as they turn the page to the next season. 

The Bears are ending the season disappointed, yet optimistic about the future. Many of the young players on the team who struggled throughout this season will be ready from day one, and the head coach certainly is ready. “I’m really happy with what we did this year, especially the young players, and I’m ready to get next year going.”