(via the Bears)
The Washington Capitals and the Hershey Bears announced Thursday that they extended their affiliation through the 2019-2020 season. The Bears are getting ready to start their 12th season as the Caps affiliate. They have made the Calder Cup Finals in five of the last eleven seasons. Of those five, they won the Calder Cup three times, 2006, 2009, and 2010.
Last season, 21 players that had spent time with Hershey played for the Caps. Hershey has ranked first in AHL attendance for the past 10 seasons. Caps radio voice John Walton was also the radio broadcaster for the Bears before coming to Washington.
Capitals senior vice president and General Manager Brian MacLellan said “The success of our organization over the last decade speaks volumes about the strength of our relationship with Hershey.” MacLellan also mentioned how the geography works as the GIANT Center is less than 150 miles from Verizon Center.
Bryan Helmer, vice president of hockey operations for the Bears, said, “We consider being affiliated with the Capitals an honor.” He went on to call it a “win-win” situation for both organizations.
The Bears will start their 79th season on October 14 when they face the Rochester Americans. The Caps have a plethora of draft picks on the Bears roster such as goaltender Vitek Vanecek; defenseman Madison Bowey, Tyler Lewington; and forwards Nathan Walker, Jakub Vrana, and Travis Boyd.
