Bears’ Allen heading to Washington

Photo: Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images

The Washington Capitals have hired Hershey Bears head coach Scott Allen as an assistant coach with the NHL club.

Allen spent the last three seasons with the Bears, including serving as head coach in 2021-22 when Hershey went 34-32-6-4 and earned a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He was an assistant on Spencer Carbery’s staff for two seasons, helping the team to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as regular-season champions in 2020-21.

With Washington, Allen will primarily work with the Capitals’ forwards and penalty kill, joining assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy and Blaine Forsythe and goaltending coach Scott Murray on head coach Peter Laviolette’s staff. Allen is the third Hershey coach to earn a promotion to the NHL this summer, joining former Hershey video coach Emily Engel-Natzke, who was promoted to the Capitals as video coordinator, and former Hershey associate goaltending coach Alex Westlund, who was hired as goaltending coach by the Detroit Red Wings.

In addition to Allen’s promotion, the Bears and Capitals also announced today that Hershey assistant coach Steve Bergin has left the organization to pursue other opportunities.