The Washington Capitals officially named Patrick Wellar as the team’s new assistant head coach on Wednesday.

Wellar, who was previously in the position only on an interim basis, replaced Mitch Love as the former two-time AHL Coach of the Year was placed on team-imposed leave due to an NHL investigation about his personal conduct in late September. Love was then fired by the Capitals a month later.

“Mitch Love has been relieved of his duties as an assistant coach, effective immediately,” the Capitals wrote in a statement on October 26. “This decision follows the findings of an NHL-led investigation into past allegations. The organization is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and accountability.”

Carbery revealed that the Capitals hadn’t made a decision on his permanent replacement a day later. Two weeks later, Wellar’s promotion to full-time is official.

A member of the Hershey Bears’ 2010 Calder Cup championship team, Wellar was a third-round draft pick of the Capitals in the 2002 NHL Draft. He had spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant in Hershey, earning Calder Cups as a coach with the Bears in both 2023 and 2024.

As a player, Wellar has suited up alongside current Capitals defenseman John Carlson. He’s also coached current Caps Martin Fehérváry and Dylan McIlrath. During his time as a coach, he previously worked with Carbery, assistant coach Scott Allen, and video coach Emily Engel-Natzke in Hershey.

The 41-year-old has been coaching the Capitals’ defensemen with Washington.

The Hershey Bears also officially hired Brent Thompson as the team’s new assistant coach. Thompson, 54, played three seasons with the Bears from 2000-03, and was the club’s captain in 2002-03. The Calgary, Alberta native spent the last two seasons in the National Hockey League as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks. His son is Buffalo Sabres’ superstar Tage Thompson.

Here’s the Washington Capitals’ full press release about Wellar’s hiring:

Capitals Name Patrick Wellar Assistant Coach
Former Capitals draft pick and two-time Calder Cup champion joins coaching staff

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have named Patrick Wellar an assistant coach, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. Wellar will primarily work with the Capitals’ defensemen.

Wellar, 41, joins Washington after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he oversaw the team’s defensemen. Hershey ranked in the top three in the AHL in goals against in four of his seven seasons, including league-low averages in 2020-21 (2.33) and 2023-24 (2.10). With Hershey, Wellar won two Calder Cups (2023, 2024) and two Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophies (2020-21, 2023-24) for best regular-season record, coached current Capitals defensemen Martin Fehérváry and Dylan McIlrath, and worked alongside Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, assistant coach Scott Allen, and video coach Emily Engel-Natzke.

Prior to joining Hershey’s staff, Wellar served as an assistant coach with the Reading Royals of the ECHL during the 2017-18 season, helping guide the team to a 39-24-9-0 record and a playoff berth. The Carrot River, Saskatchewan native also spent one season as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones in 2016-17. Wellar began his coaching career and finished his playing career as a player-assistant coach in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies in 2014-15 and with the Alaska Aces in 2015-16.

Wellar, who was drafted by the Capitals in the third round (77th overall) of the 2002 NHL Draft, played 747 professional games over 12 seasons in the AHL and ECHL. Wellar, a defenseman, played parts of six seasons with Hershey from 2008-14, winning the Calder Cup with the Bears alongside John Carlson in 2010. Wellar also won three Kelly Cup championships as a player, with Alaska in 2006, the South Carolina Stingrays in 2009, and Reading in 2013.

Here’s the Hershey Bears’ full press release about Brent Thompson’s hiring:

HERSHEY BEARS NAME BRENT THOMPSON ASSISTANT COACH
Former Hershey captain returns to organization behind the bench following Patrick Wellar’s promotion to Washington

(Hershey, PA – November 12, 2025) – The Hershey Bears announced today that Brent Thompson has been named assistant coach. The announcement was made by Hershey Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer and Washington Capitals senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick.

Thompson, 54, returns to Hershey where he played three seasons with the Bears from 2000-03, and served as the club’s captain during his final season with Hershey in 2002-03. The Calgary, Alberta native spent the last two seasons in the National Hockey League as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.

Thompson served as head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Islanders franchise over two separate stints from 2011-12 and 2014-23, leading the club to a 328-286-49-24 (.531) record. His 328 head coaching wins in the American Hockey League are tied for 18th in league history. Between his two segments as Bridgeport’s head coach, he served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 2012-14.

Thompson’s AHL coaching experience also includes four seasons as an assistant coach with the Peoria Rivermen from 2005-09 after beginning his coaching career as a player-assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles, then of the Central Hockey League, in 2003-04.

He served as a head coach of the ECHL’s Alaska Aces from 2009-11, compiling an 83-50-6-5 record. He led the Aces to a Kelly Cup championship in 2011 and was named the recipient of the John Brophy Award as the ECHL’s coach of the year following a league-best 47-22-2-1 record in the regular season.

Selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (39th overall) of the 1989 NHL Draft, Thompson’s 15-year playing career was also highlighted by 121 games in the NHL with Los Angeles and Phoenix, accumulating 11 points (1g, 10a) and 352 penalty minutes.

As a player, Thompson earned the AHL’s Yanick Dupré Memorial Award in 1998-99 as a member of the Hartford Wolf Pack for his outstanding community involvement. His 2,084 penalty minutes rank seventh in league history. During his tenure with Hershey, Thompson skated in 155 career games with the Chocolate and White, collecting 45 points (10g, 35a) and 356 penalty minutes.

Thompson takes over for former Hershey assistant coach Patrick Wellar who was promoted to an identical role with the Washington Capitals earlier today. Wellar spent the last seven seasons behind the bench with Hershey, helping the club capture back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.

Wellar, 41, was named to Hershey’s staff on July 17, 2018. In his seven seasons on the bench in Chocolatetown, Wellar served under head coaches Spencer Carbery (2018-21), Scott Allen (2021-22), and Todd Nelson (2022-25), helping lead the club to a record of 279-135-27-22 in 463 regular-season games, for a points percentage of .656, while primarily working with Hershey’s defensemen and penalty-killing units.

Under his watch, the Bears were the AHL’s best defensive team in 2020-21, allowing just 2.33 goals per game, en route to winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s top team in the regular season. In 2022-23, Hershey allowed a league-low 26.19 shots against per game and finished second out of 32 teams in the regular season allowing just 2.56 goals per game, before winning the 2023 Calder Cup championship. The following year, the Bears yielded the fewest goals against per game (2.10) and shots against per game (25.97) of any team in the league en route to another Kilpatrick Trophy and a second consecutive Calder Cup championship, while the club set franchise records for best points percentage (.771) and penalty kill percentage (87.69). In the 2024-25 campaign, the Bears set another franchise mark for shots against per game (25.94).

A former defender, Wellar was a stalwart on Hershey’s blue line during his playing career. He was part of Hershey’s 2010 Calder Cup Championship team that went 60-17-0-3 in the regular season before ultimately claiming the franchise’s 11th playoff title. In total, the Carrot River, Saskatchewan native appeared in 260 games with Hershey, scoring 46 points (7 goals, 39 assists), and posting a +24 rating. He also appeared in 36 playoff contests with the club.