Hershey Bears bring back Louis Robitaille as assistant coach

The Hershey Bears added a familiar face behind the bench Tuesday, naming Louis Robitaille assistant coach on Derek King’s staff. Bryan Helmer, the club’s vice president of hockey operations, announced the move as Hershey continued to build out the group that will guide the AHL standard in Central Pennsylvania.

Robitaille, 44, returns to Hershey after a previous run with the club during his nine-year playing career. He spent three seasons in Hershey and skated in 200 regular-season games for the Bears, giving the organization a former player who already knows the demands of the rink, the market and the pressure that comes with wearing the sweater in one of the league’s most watched organizations.

His background stretches well beyond his playing days. Robitaille worked more than a decade in the QMJHL, building a long coaching track in major junior hockey, and last year he served as head coach of Omskie Krylia in the VHL. That path matters for Hershey because the Bears are not only trying to win now under King, they are also trying to keep the conveyor belt moving for the next wave of prospects who will need structure, habits and rapid adjustment to the pro game.

Robitaille’s playing profile also adds a different layer to the bench. He was known as a former enforcer, with a career-high 350 penalty minutes and 38 fights in the 2007-08 season. That kind of edge, paired with years of coaching younger players, gives King another voice with experience on both sides of the development equation.

King was already hired as Hershey’s new head coach and was introduced by the Bears as the 29th head coach in franchise history. Adding Robitaille gives that staff another link to the club’s past while reinforcing the expectation that Hershey remains a place where prospects are pushed, corrected and prepared for the next step. For Washington’s affiliate depth, that continuity can matter as much as any single result in the standings.