Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals Extend Affiliation Through 2019-20

The Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals have announced an affiliation extension through the 2019-20 season.

“I think it’s good considering the coaching staff is under contract for a couple more years,” Bears head coach Troy Mann said. “I think it has been a great fit for both organizations. A lot of winning has been done here since 2005-06. It’s important to the community, important to the fan base to know that the NHL team is going to be here long term. I think once Bryan [Helmer] became the VP, one of the things he talked about was doing a longer extension.”

This agreement is the longest since the early days of the Capitals affiliation with Hershey starting in 2005-06. “We’ve got a great relationship with Washington right now,” said VP of Hockey Operations Bryan Helmer. “It’s the best it’s ever been. We approached them and they approached us. We thought the longer the better. Especially the way the relationship is, I talk to [Capitals Director of Minor League Operations] Chris Patrick a lot – he’s got a lot of respect for me and I got a lot of respect for Washington.

“I thought it was a good thing. We don’t have to worry about anything for the next four years. Both teams are doing really well right now. They’ve got the mentality of they want to develop young guys, and develop them in a winning atmosphere. They’re going to give us all the resources they can to be successful down here. And it’s showing up there. Guys that were down here – Holtby, Carlson, Alzner, and Beagle, and what they’re doing on their team. It’s a good fit. We’re looking forward to the future and the present.”

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 6, 2016

Washington Capitals Extend Affiliation with Hershey Bears

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) have extended their affiliation agreement through the 2019-20 season, Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan and Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer announced today.

The Bears, one of the AHL’s elite franchises, recently completed their 11th season as Washington’s AHL affiliate under the current agreement. Hershey reached the Calder Cup final in 2015-16 and has qualified for the playoffs in 10 of the last 11 seasons. The Bears won the Calder Cup in back-to-back seasons as the champions of the AHL in 2009 and 2010 as well as in 2006. In addition, Hershey has reached the Calder Cup final in five of the 11 seasons it has been affiliated with Washington under the current agreement. The Capitals and Bears boast the eighth-longest current NHL-AHL affiliation.

“We are excited to extend our long-running affiliation with the Hershey Bears for four more years,” said MacLellan. “The success of our organization over the last decade speaks volumes about the strength of our relationship with Hershey. Our affiliation makes sense both geographically and on the ice, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Bears to develop our prospects into quality NHL players.”

Last season, 21 former or current Bears played for Washington, including 2015-16 Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby. Holtby posted a 74-45-7 record with 14 shutouts, a 2.37 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 132 games with Hershey from 2009-13.

“The Hershey Bears organization is thrilled to continue our affiliation with the Washington Capitals,” Helmer said. “We consider being affiliated with the Capitals an honor and look forward to collaborating with the team even more in the future as the partnership continues to be a win-win for both organizations.”

For the 10th consecutive season, the Hershey Bears boasted the AHL’s top attendance with 372,020 fans visiting the GIANT Center in 2015-16, an average of 9,790 fans per game. Giant Center seats 10,500 for hockey and is located less than 140 miles from Verizon Center.

The Capitals and Bears were previously affiliated for seven seasons from 1977 to 1984, including the Bears’ 1980 Calder Cup championship.