The Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears have a new head coach.
Derek King has been named the 29th coach in franchise history, the organization announced on Monday.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head coach of the Hershey Bears," King said. “Knowing what Hershey is about within the American Hockey League, I’m ecstatic – I equate it to getting a job with an Original Six team in the NHL. My family and I are excited, and I can’t wait to get down there and get to work, and hopefully be a part of continuing the club’s storied legacy.”
King has years of AHL and NHL coaching experience and spent the last four seasons as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks. There, he coached Connor Bedard, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome, among others. He was also the interim head coach of the Blackhawks in 2021-22, and during that time, Chicago scored .59 more goals per game under King and allowed .43 less goals per game with King.
Before joining the Blackhawks, he spent parts of seven seasons with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago's AHL affiliate.
“Derek brings a wealth of coaching experience and a deep understanding of the game to Hershey,” general manager Chris Patrick said. “Throughout his 18-year coaching career, Derek has excelled in developing players at both the AHL and NHL levels. We feel that he possesses the necessary experience, knowledge, and passion to lead Hershey and help our young players as they prepare to transition to the NHL.”
King replaces Todd Nelson, who departed the organization this summer to join the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant.