Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Derek King Appointed as Hershey Bears head coach.
King, 58, spent part of six seasons with AHL’s Rockford Icehogs, working as an assistant coach since 2016-17. He helped the team to the Western Conference Finals in 2018 and was promoted to head coach on November 6, 2018 until he was promoted to the Chicago Blackhawks as interim head coach on November 6, 2021.
King is most recently a Chicago assistant coach from 2022 to 2025.
King led the Icehogs to a 72-81-12 record in 165 games against Rockford.
King joined the Blackhawks after serving as an assistant and associate coach at Toronto Marys (AHL) in the 2009-15 year. He helped Maris win three Northern Division titles in 2012 and Western Conference Championships.
King is from Hamilton, Ontario, who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League with Islanders, Whalers, Maple Leafs and Blues, scoring 612 points (261 goals, 351 assists) in 830 professional regular season games. He competed in 171 games in the AHL with Springfield Indians (1987-90) and Grand Rapids Griffins (2002-04).
The King Success Todd Nelsonwas hired as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this summer.
