The Hershey Bears have a new captain.
Hershey announced that Aaron Ness will succeed Dylan McIlrath as the club’s new, full-time leader after McIlrath graduated to the NHL’s Washington Capitals this fall. Joining Ness in Hershey’s leadership group are full-time alternate captain Mike Vecchione and alternate captains Riley Sutter (home) and Brad Hunt (road).
Ness previously served as an alternate captain after rejoining the Bears in 2022 for the second stint of his career with the team. The 34-year-old defender recently signed a one-year contract extension with Hershey that will keep him in Chocolatetown through the 2025-26 campaign.
Head coach Todd Nelson has deployed Ness on his team’s top defense pairing the past two seasons as the Bears have captured back-to-back Calder Cup titles. Ness, who previously served as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ captain in 2014-15, has 733 career games of AHL experience under his belt with Bridgeport, Hershey, the Tucson Roadrunners, and the Providence Bruins.
Ness has played 72 career NHL games with Washington, the New York Islanders, and the Arizona Coyotes. He also represented Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Nelson previously stated he was waiting for someone in his locker room to separate themselves as a leader on and off the ice before announcing McIlrath’s successor. He made the announcement to the team in their locker room on Wednesday with the help of Ness’s wife, Samantha, and the two Ness children, Carter and Henrik.
Hershey will play their first game with Ness as captain on the road against Providence on Friday.
Here’s the press release from the Hershey Bears:
HERSHEY BEARS NAME AARON NESS CAPTAIN
Defender has helped guide Hershey to back-to-back Calder Cup titles
(Hershey, PA – October 23, 2024) – The Hershey Bears announced today that defenseman Aaron Ness has been named captain.
Ness, 34, has served as the club’s alternate captain since rejoining the team in 2022 for his second stint with the organization. He helped lead Hershey to back-to-back Calder Cup titles in 2023 and 2024, and the Roseau, Minn. native signed a one-year contract extension with the club on Oct. 18, keeping him with the Chocolate and White through the 2025-26 season.
Ness succeeds Dylan McIlrath as the team’s captain, who had fulfilled that role for Hershey from 2022-24. Joining Ness as part of Hershey’s leadership group is full-time alternate captain Mike Vecchione, and alternate captains Riley Sutter (home) and Brad Hunt (road).
Ness is in his seventh season with Hershey and has skated in 381 career games with the Bears, a mark that ranks 27th in franchise history. Ness has scored 171 points (29g, 142a), making him the seventh-highest scoring defenseman in franchise history. He is the top-scoring American-born blueliner in Hershey history, and his 142 assists ranks 43rd in the club’s 87-season tenure.
In 2022-23, Ness logged 19 points (5g, 14) in 69 games and posted one goal in the postseason as Hershey won its 12th Calder Cup. Last year, Ness had 23 points (4g, 19a) in 68 regular-season games, then scored two points (1g, 1a) in 10 playoff games as Hershey claimed the Calder Cup for a second straight year.
In his first stint with the organization from 2015-19, Ness helped the Bears reach the 2016 Calder Cup Finals. Ness served as an alternate captain for parts of the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, and in 2018-19, he wore the “A” for all home games and enjoyed the best offensive season of his career, posting 55 points (5g, 50a) while also earning AHL Second All-Star Team honors.
Ness previously served as captain of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 2014-15, earning a spot in the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic. He has appeared in 733 career AHL games with Bridgeport, Hershey, Tucson, and Providence, collecting 322 points (57g, 265a). He is currently the active games played leader among all American Hockey League defensemen.
He has also played in 72 career NHL games with the New York Islanders, Washington, and Arizona, notching seven points (1g, 6a). Ness represented Team USA in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, notching one assist in four games.
