Derek King was appointed as the 29th head coach of the Hershey Bears, officially introduced at a press conference. King returns to an AHL head coaching role after leading the Rockford IceHogs from 2018 to 2022 and serving as interim head coach for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks. Following his departure from Chicago, he reached out to familiar contacts such as Garrett Mitchell and Bryan Helmer to seek new opportunities. King's history with Helmer dates back to their time as teammates on the St. Louis Blues, where they achieved significant success.
The Bears held a press conference hosted by Zack Fisch, featuring King and Bryan Helmer, Hershey's Vice President of Hockey Operations.
King, 58, has received his second opportunity to be an AHL head coach after leading the Rockford IceHogs for parts of four seasons.
After parting ways with the Blackhawks earlier this offseason, King found himself searching for a new job and turned to a few familiar faces.
King knows Helmer well as the two were teammates on the 1999-00 St. Louis Blues.
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