The Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals have announced an extension of their affiliation agreement through the 2023-24 season.
“The Hershey Bears are thrilled to continue our partnership with one of the NHL’s elite franchises,” said Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer. “Together, the Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals have established a winning culture that goes hand-in-hand with organizational development at both the AHL and NHL levels. The Bears and Capitals have experienced success and championships during this long-standing affiliation, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”
The Bears and Capitals have been affiliated since 2005. Hershey has qualified for the playoffs 12 times during that tenure and reached the Calder Cup Finals five times, winning league championships in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
“We have enjoyed our long-lasting partnership with the Hershey Bears and are excited to extend our affiliation,” said Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan. “Hershey has a tremendous history within the American Hockey League. They are well-run and a first-class organization. We believe the franchise’s winning culture provides our prospects with the best opportunity to develop.”
This season, 14 former or current Bears have played for Washington: Travis Boyd, John Carlson, Christian Djoos, Martin Fehervary, Braden Holtby, Tyler Lewington, Beck Malenstyn, Dmitry Orlov, Michael Sgarbossa, Ilya Samsonov, Jonas Siegenthaler, Chandler Stephenson, Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson.
