With the Capitals promoting Scott Allen to an assistant coaching role with the big club to replace Scott Arniel, that left a head coach opening to be filled with their AHL affiliate in Hershey. It appears that they’re close to filling that opening as ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports (Twitter link) that Washington is closing in on hiring former Stars assistant Todd Nelson as the next head coach of the Bears.
Nelson has been coaching for nearly two decades and it will be his third stint as an AHL head coach after running Oklahoma City for parts of five seasons (before becoming Edmonton’s interim bench boss) and three years in Grand Rapids before he joined Dallas four years ago.
It will be a return of sorts for the 53-year-old as Nelson spent three seasons as a player in Washington’s system, spent primarily at the minor league level although he scored his only NHL goal in a Capitals uniform. Nelson became available back in May once Dallas decided to overhaul their coaching staff and while he won’t be making it back behind an NHL bench, he’ll be returning to a very familiar role.
Good man, he was a great coach with the Griffens, coached them to a Calder Cup in “16-“17 season.