Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Derek King will admit that before becoming the franchise’s 29th head coach this week, he had minimal connections to the Hershey Bears.
But from a distance, at least, King knew what Hershey represents.
“I feel like this is the 33rd NHL team,” King said, “and it’s like an Original Six team. I’m very excited and honored that they think that I can take the helm and run with it. Anybody reaching out to me, it’s all they talk about: what a place to get a coaching job.”
King also comes to Hershey with three key relationships that will take anyone far with Bears fans. Vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer, briefly a teammate of with the St. Louis Blues, saw him as an ideal fit. Former Bears head coach Todd Nelson had King as a player/assistant coach in Grand Rapids. And former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell played for King with the Rockford IceHogs. In fact, it was Mitchell, a Bears fan favorite for his gritty, passionate play, whose praise for Hershey helped to encourage King to apply for the coaching vacancy this summer.
So while King and Bears fans are largely unfamiliar with each other, the common links are a meaningful first step for both sides. What fans do know is that they are getting a head coach who played for the likes of Al Arbour, Paul Maurice, Pat Quinn and Joel Quenneville before making his way into coaching. He spent nine seasons in the Blackhawks organization, as an assistant and head coach in Rockford and later as an interim head coach and later assistant in Chicago. He also spent six years as an assistant with the Toronto Marlies.
When the Hershey post became available after Nelson left for Pittsburgh in June, King sent a text message to Mitchell. With Mitchell’s encouragement, King got in touch with Helmer, and the selection process started to unfold. Helmer and Washington Capitals management started the task of sorting through a lengthy list of candidates, and as King’s candidacy began to gain momentum, he spoke with Caps general manager Chris Patrick, head coach Spencer Carbery and director of hockey operations Jason Fitzsimmons.
Hershey’s past three head coaches – Carbery, Capitals assistant Scott Allen, and Nelson – all now hold NHL jobs. The organization’s proven ability to graduate coaches to the NHL meant that King faced a strong candidate pool.
“It’s not easy out there,” King acknowledged. “There are a lot of good candidates.”
But soon a comfort level began to take hold as the two sides talked further.
“I felt real comfortable talking to these guys,” King said. “Just how comfortable they make you feel. There’s no tip-toeing around. Nobody’s looking at you, staring you down like, ‘Who’s this guy?’ Everybody has open arms welcoming everybody.”
Wednesday’s media conference to introduce King had a few different moods to it. Along with that getting-to-know-you feel, it also marked something of a next step for the Bears as they ready themselves for the 21st season of an affiliation with Washington that has produced five Calder Cup championships.
Much of the core from the clubs that won the Calder Cup in 2023 and 2024 have scattered to various points around hockey. King’s Bears are going to be young and hungry, which should mesh well with the coach’s reputation for his communication skills, forthright demeanor and player-friendly approach.
“The big thing here for me is I’m an honest guy,” King said. “I’m fair. I have an open-door policy. I expect players to work hard and be humble.”
King gained considerable experience working with young players in Rockford and Chicago. The Capitals and Bears needed a leader with strong teaching skills and a steady hand. They also are ensuring some continuity by bringing back assistant coaches Nick Bootland and Patrick Wellar – something that Helmer considers a fortunate break as he had anticipated they could both have been possibilities to land head-coaching jobs of their own.
“We thought Derek was that guy that could just fit right in and take over from Todd Nelson,” Helmer explained. “I think he’ll fit right in.”
While the Bears will be cycling in a new group of prospects come October, there remains one constant in Hershey: fans want a contender.
“That was one thing that we told Derek right off the bat,” Helmer recounted. “The pressure’s going to be here, and our fans expect us to win the Calder Cup every year.”
King is OK with that kind of pressure, and even doubled down on those expectations.
“Obviously there has been success here,” King said. “I’m not coming in to throw elbows and change everything up. I’m here to help keep building it to even get better. I’m going to treat this like it’s an NHL team.”
“I know the Bears have won (the Calder Cup), and that’s great. But now it’s time to win it again.”