Hershey Bears Name Head Coach: Derek King
On Monday, August 4th, 2025, the Hershey Bears, AHL Affiliate of the Washington Capitals announced that they have selected their Head Coach for the upcoming 2025-2026 season. Derek King will take the reigns behind the bench of the 13 time Calder Cup Champions.
King comes with experience coaching in the AHL. King worked with the Toronto Marlies as an assistant coach from the 2009 season to the 2014 season. He was an associate coach in the 2014-2015 season. He assisted the Marlies in a Calder Cup Finals appearance in the 2012 season and won 40 or more games during the course of his final four seasons with the Marlies. King then went to the Rockford IceHogs where he was the Assistant Coach in the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, and assisted the team to a Western Conference Final appearance in the 2018 season. King was then promoted to interim head coach in November of 2018 and became the permanent head coach before the 2019-2020 season began. King started his coaching career with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins from the 2002 season to the 2004 season. He worked with former Hershey Head Coach Todd Nelson who was the assistant coach for the Griffins in the 2002-2003 season.
Before turning to the coaching side of hockey, King was also a player. He was drafted in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 13th overall in the first round by the New York Islanders. King spent 14 years in the NHL. He dressed in 830 NHL games. He tallied 261 goals and 351 assists. During his career, he had three 30 goal seasons, and one 40 goal season. He also played for the Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and St. Louis Blues.
At the end of King’s professional career, he spent four season with the Grand Rapid Griffins. He notched 73 goals and 130 assists in the span of 264 games. He earned the Griffins all-time leading playoff scorer tallying 16 goals and 25 assists over the span of 46 games. At the time of his tenure, Grand Rapids was part of the IHL and then turned into the AHL.
King finished his professional career by spending parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids, scoring 203 points (73g, 130a) in 264 games, while earning the distinction of being the Griffins’ all-time leading playoff scorer with 41 points (16g, 25a) in 46 games over his tenure in the International Hockey League (IHL) and AHL. King spent one season overseas in the DEL for München Barons where he dressed in 60 games and notched 19 goals and 26 assists.
Per Hershey PR: “I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head coach of the Hershey Bears,” said King. “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.” - Head Coach Derek King
- Samantha Wismer/Olde City Sports Network
-Photo Credit: Rockford Icehogs & Nam Y. Huh/AP