The AHL’s 2023 Calder Cup Finals will kick off from Palm Desert, California on Thursday night at 10 pm. The Eastern Conference Champion Hershey Bears will face off against the first-year Coachella Valley Firebirds, the winner of the West’s title.

Much has been made of the Bears’ top prospects in the postseason, but one of the more intriguing storylines of this series will be behind the benches.

Bears’ head coach Todd Nelson will go head-to-head with the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup-winning bench boss, Dan Blysma.

Nelson and Blysma will be facing off in the AHL’s championship series for a second time, albeit in different roles. Nelson and Blysma were assistant coaches when the Chicago Wolves faced off against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2008. Nelson’s Wolves defeated Blysma’s Penguins four games to two to capture the 2008 Calder Cup – one of six Nelson has captured as a player and coach.

With a victory in this series, Nelson will cement his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in AHL history. A championship with the Bears would be Nelson’s second career Calder Cup title as a head coach; Nelson previously won a championship with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017. This would make him just the 12th head coach in league history to win multiple Calder Cups, joining former Bears bench bosses Frank Mathers (3) and John Paddock (3). Nelson would also join Paddock and Fred “Bun” Cook as only the third head coach in league history to win Cups with different teams.

Nelson is already only the third person in AHL history to win the Calder Cup as a player (1994, Portland), assistant coach (2008, Chicago), and head coach (2017).

His regular season success is also becoming increasingly historic. Nelson sits 13th on the AHL’s all-time wins list with 353 career victories (which is 13 more than former Bears’ head coach Bruce Boudreau). With two more full successful seasons in the American Hockey League (30-plus wins), Nelson could enter the top six.

During his illustrious playing and coaching career, Nelson has won six championships: one as a player, one as a player/assistant coach, one as an assistant coach, and three as a head coach. Before being hired by Hershey, Nelson was an assistant coach with the Dallas Stars and was a part of their 2019-20 Stanley Cup Final team. He also was an NHL head coach with the Edmonton Oilers when he replaced Dallas Eakins midseason during the 2014-15 season, posting a 17-22-7 record. From 2008 through 2010, Nelson served as an assistant with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Bears players, both young and old, have sung Nelson’s praises for his leadership in his first season.

“I just think he really understands gaining respect from players without having to be too loud about it,” Beck Malenstyn said. “He comes into the rink, he connects with you on a personal level, he’s loose when he wants to be loose, and I think we all have enough respect for him that when business time comes, we’re ready to go. He holds us accountable. I’ve had a few coaches but not too many that have that presence where they don’t need to scream and yell at you.

“Your willing to put yourself on the line for them because they give you leash. They let you go out there and play your game. But, if things start to slide they’ll hold you accountable. I think he has a great balance of that where he keeps it light around the room and then when push comes to shove and it’s business time we’re locked in and we’re prepared.”

Sam Anas added, “He’s so poised. You look at him on the bench, and you wouldn’t know what the score of the game was. We could be down by two, up by two, and he’s just got that same calm, cool demeanor.”

During the year, Nelson has also not been afraid to sit high-profile prospects who he thinks has more to give. Nelson sat first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre during the regular season and has sent leading goal-scorer, Ethen Frank, to the press box for multiple games after not being able to dent the twine in the postseason.

Thursday’s Game One will mark the first time the Hershey Bears have played in California in 20,210 days – a span of 55 years, four months, and one day.

Here are more storylines and facts from Hershey Bears PR:

BEARS’ PLAYOFFS TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Mason Morelli, Aliaksei Protas (5)
Assists: Joe Snively (9)
Points: Aliaksei Protas (12)
Power-Play Goals: Aliaksei Protas (2)
Shorthanded Goals: N/A
Plus/Minus: Logan Day, Lucas Johansen (+7)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (10)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.85)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.929)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

HOW WE GOT HERE:
The Bears are making their league-record 24th appearance in the Calder Cup Finals, and their first since 2016. After finishing the regular season with a 44-19-5-4 record, good for second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth overall in league standings, Hershey dispatched the Charlotte Checkers three games to one in the Atlantic Division Semifinals, swept the upstart Hartford Wolf Pack three games to none in the Atlantic Division Finals, and conquered the Rochester Americans four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals. Coachella Valley, playing in its first season, finished second in both the Pacific Division and the league standings with a regular-season record of 48-17-5-2. The Firebirds took down the Tucson Roadrunners two games to one in the first round, knocked off the Colorado Eagles three games to two in the Pacific Division Semifinals, then edged the first-place Calgary Wranglers three games to two in the Pacific Division Finals, and took down the Milwaukee Admirals four games to two in the Western Conference Finals.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are in their first season of existence after being admitted as an expansion franchise affiliated with the NHL’s newest club, the Seattle Kraken. Last season, Seattle’s top prospects were assigned to the Charlotte Checkers as part of a shared affiliation agreement with the Florida Panthers. The matchup between Hershey and Coachella Valley represents the first-ever Calder Cup Finals held across the Eastern and Pacific time zones, and features the oldest franchise against the youngest. Hershey is no stranger to this uncommon matchup – the Bears previously faced the first-year Texas Stars in 2010, winning four games to two.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’:
This Calder Cup Finals series marks the first time the Bears will have played a game of consequence against a team from California in 55 years. While the American Hockey League did not expand into California until the 2015-16 season, the Bears are no stranger to the west coast. Hershey previously played California-based teams during the 1965-66 and 1967-68 regular seasons as part of an interlocking schedule with the now-defunct Western Hockey League (1952-74), which included games against the San Francisco Seals, Los Angeles Blades, and San Diego Gulls. The last time Hershey played a team from the Golden State was Feb. 7, 1968 at San Diego.

NELLY GOES FOR TWO:
In his first season at the helm of the Bears, Hershey head coach Todd Nelson looks to add to his legacy of success. A Calder Cup win for Nelson with the Bears would give him his second career Calder Cup title as a head coach, after previously winning the championship with Grand Rapids in 2017. In doing so, Nelson would become just the 12th head coach in league history to win multiple Calder Cups, joining former Bears bench bosses Frank Mathers (3) and John Paddock (3); Nelson would join Paddock and Fred “Bun” Cook as only the third head coach in league history to win Cups with different teams.

NELLY VS. DISCO DAN, PART 2:
Nelson also won the Calder Cup as a player with the 1994 Portland Pirates and as an assistant coach with the 2008 Chicago Wolves, who defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins four games to two. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s assistant coach that season was Dan Bylsma, now at the helm of the Firebirds. The following season, Bylsma was named head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through the campaign, and later that spring hoisted the Stanley Cup after guiding Pittsburgh to a seven-game series win over the Detroit Red Wings. Nelson, meanwhile, later captured an additional Calder Cup in 2017 as the bench boss for Grand Rapids, and helped the Dallas Stars reach the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

ADDITIONAL FINALS EXPERIENCE ON BOTH SIDES:
In addition to Todd Nelson and Dan Bylsma’s history in the Calder Cup Finals, there are several members of both teams who have either captured a Calder Cup or have played for the AHL’s championship trophy before in their careers. Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer is a three-time champion as a player (Albany, 1995; Hershey, 2009 and 2010), and was an assistant coach for Hershey during its last Finals appearance in 2016. Assistant coach Patrick Wellar was a member of the 2010 Bears squad as a player. Current Bears captain Dylan McIlrath captured the 2017 Calder Cup with Grand Rapids. Defender Aaron Ness is back in the Calder Cup Finals for the second time in his career after helping Hershey to the championship round in 2016 against Lake Erie. Sam Anas was a member of the Springfield Thunderbirds squad last season that fell in five games to the Chicago Wolves. In addition to Dan Bylsma’s experience as an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2008, Firebirds assistant coach Stu Bickel was also on the bench of Springfield last season with Anas as well. Firebirds head equipment manager Brian Garcia held the same role with the 2010 Texas Stars squad that fell to Hershey. Coachella Valley forward Andrew Poturalski is seeking his third Calder Cup as a player after capturing the championship with Charlotte in 2019 and captaining Chicago in 2022.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK:
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are in their first season of existence after being admitted as an expansion franchise affiliated with the NHL’s newest club, the Seattle Kraken. Last season, Seattle’s top prospects were assigned to the Charlotte Checkers as part of a shared affiliation agreement with the Florida Panthers. The matchup between Hershey and Coachella Valley represents the first-ever Calder Cup Finals held across the Eastern and Pacific time zones, and features the oldest franchise against the youngest. Hershey is no stranger to this uncommon matchup – the Bears previously faced the first-year Texas Stars in 2010, winning four games to two.

FAMILIAR FACE:
Firebirds blueliner Eddie Wittchow suited up for the Chocolate and White for parts of three seasons from 2019-22 before attending Kraken training camp and signing a one-year AHL contract with the Firebirds in late September. The University of Wisconsin alumnus put up 18 points (7g, 11a) in 89 career regular season games for Hershey. Wittchow also previously played for the first-year Springfield Thunderbirds during the 2016-17 season.

HAVE A DAY:
Bears defender Logan Day is coming off a scorching-hot performance in the Eastern Conference Finals for Hershey, leading the club with six points (2g, 4a) in six games against Rochester. His nine points (3g, 6a) in nine games for the month of May also tied for the league lead among blueliners.

FIRST WIN WEIGHS HEAVY:
The team that takes Game 1 will have some favorable odds going forward in the rest of the series. In the 84 times that the Calder Cup has been contested, the winning team of Game 1 has gone on to win the Cup 63 times (75%). Last season, current Bears forward Sam Anas and the Springfield Thunderbirds took Game 1 against the Chicago Wolves, only to lose the series in five games. The Bears also famously dropped the first two games of the 2010 Calder Cup Finals at home before going on to win four straight against the first-year Texas Stars to claim their most recent championship. Hershey is a lifetime 11-12 in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals, and holds an 8-3 series record in years in which it has won the opening match.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Hershey will look to extend its road playoff win streak of six games tonight. The Bears are a perfect 6-0 away from GIANT Center entering the championship round, matching a franchise record shared with the 2006 Bears, which ultimately went 8-3 on the road, and the 1988 Bears, which finished the postseason with a 6-0 road win as part of an overall 12-0 record to win the title. The AHL playoff record for most consecutive road victories in a single postseason belongs to the 1998 Philadelphia Phantoms team, which won its first nine road games en route to a championship.

SPECIAL TEAMS GLANCE:
The Calder Cup Finals may very well be a battle of discipline, as both the Bears and Firebirds have averaged approximately eight penalty minutes per game, with Hershey averaging 8.15 compared to Coachella Valley’s 8.32. The Bears have gone 8-for-37 with the man advantage through 13 playoff games, converting on 21.6% of their chances, while the Firebirds have gone 13-for-72 (18.1%) in 19 contests. Coachella’s 72 power-play opportunities are the most by any team in the postseason, so staying out of the box will be critical; Hershey boasts a penalty kill that ranks fifth in the postseason at 30-for-35 (85.7%).

BEARS BITES:
Aliaksei Protas leads Hershey in playoff scoring with 12 points (5g, 7a) in 13 games, while the Firebirds are paced by Kole Lind’s 23 points (7g, 16a) in 19 games…Coachella Valley netminder Joey Daccord leads all playoff goaltenders in wins (12), losses (7), minutes played (1,190:27), and saves (569)…Firebirds defenseman Ryker Evans leads all rookies and all blueliners in scoring with 16 points (3g, 13a) in 19 games…Hershey is 6-1 when scoring first, while Coachella Valley is 9-2 when lighting the lamp first…Coachella Valley leads the playoffs with three shorthanded goals, but has also given up two…The Bears lead the postseason with 1.92 goals against per game, while the Firebirds rank fifth at 2.53…Hershey is 6-0 when leading after two periods, while Coachella is 9-0; the Bears are 2-3 when trailing after two periods, while the Firebirds are 1-5…Hershey forward Mason Morelli has the best shooting percentage of any player in the Finals, with a 31.3% rate (5-for-16)…Bears captain Dylan McIlrath is tied for second in the postseason with 24 penalty minutes.