HERSHEY, PA. — Brooks Orpik added another line to his incredible hockey resume. The longtime NHL defenseman served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Friday and Saturday, joining Derek King’s coaching staff as the team took on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Giant Center.
Orpik, a member of the Washington Capitals’ development staff for the past seven seasons, slid into the role as a temporary fill-in for Brent Thompson, who took a leave of absence over the weekend. The 55-year-old former NHL defenseman and Bears captain flew to Milan, Italy, to be with the rest of his family at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where he watched his son Tage Thompson win gold with Team USA on Sunday. The Americans upset Team Canada 2-1 in overtime thanks to a Jack Hughes Golden Goal, giving the U.S. men’s hockey team gold for the first time since the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ team.
“I think the organization did the right thing,” King, the Bears’ first-year head coach, said. “He could just pick up and go if he wanted to. We talked about it before he even brought it up. We were going to tell him that, ‘You should get over there,’ whether he wanted to or not; we were going to force him to go over because that’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. If it was my kid, I would have been on the flight.”
The decision to go with Orpik, a silver medalist on the United States’ 2010 Olympic team, was a natural fit for the organization.
“Orps was going to be in town anyway with the development staff,” King explained. “So why not put him on? I’ve done it before. In Rockford, I would use development guys to come on the bench just to get a feel for the players. And it was perfect that he’s a defenseman, obviously, a good defenseman at that. And, you know, it was good for our guys to have a voice like that back there.”
Orpik’s stature and long history in the game were felt by the team right away. Known as one of the toughest and physical rearguards of the 2000s, Orpik threw the ninth most hits in NHL history (2,946) and blocked the thirteenth most shots (1,792). The veteran of 1,035 NHL games won a championship with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and the Washington Capitals in 2018.
“Playing the Olympics, like Game 7, won the Stanley Cup,” Henrik Rybinski said. “There’s so much knowledge. It’s just a calming presence on the bench.”
Orpik wasn’t there ceremonially either. The former Capitals’ alternate captain assumed Thompson’s responsibilities and worked the bench throughout the game, moving up and down to communicate with players.
“Just roll the D, play who you felt was playing, and just talk to them,” King said of what responsibilities he tasked Orpik with. “Make sure, the mistakes — could tell them, ‘Hey, you didn’t get a puck out or look for this, look for that.’ But an actual defenseman talking to our D like that, I mean, they’re bound to listen.”
Orpik was previously scheduled to be in Hershey to work with the players on the ice and behind the scenes ahead of the games. His development staff role utilizes his vast experience in hockey, along with his intelligence and communication skills, to identify problems and offer solutions to players.
“Well, he’s with these guys, talking to them all the time in the locker room, showing them clips, working with them on the ice at practice time,” King explained. “Like [Sunday], we’ll have a day off. And then Monday, we’ll probably do more of a skills practice day. So forwards will work with Booter (Nick Bootland) and myself. Or I’ll help Orps with the D and, you know, just kind of go back and forth. But that’s where his skill comes in, just working with these guys and talking to them.”
The mentorship and camaraderie he’s built with the players weren’t lost on one of the Bears’ goal scorers on Saturday. Kaden Bohlsen, playing in his first season in the Bears’ organization, scored his first American Hockey League goal, tying Hershey and Lehigh Valley temporarily 4-4.
“Super cool,” Bohlsen said of Orpik behind the bench. “I actually got to know him a little bit during Washington rookie camp. He’s been great. He’s been unbelievable to me.”
Previously, while serving on the Caps development staff, Orpik also served as an assistant coach for his alma mater, Boston College, for three seasons from 2020 through 2023.
While Orpik got rave reviews for his performance, a full-time life behind the bench seems unlikely for him, at least at this point.
“Well, I think he could coach, I don’t know if he wants to after those two games,” King joked, referencing the Bears’ losing both games a combined 10-5. “But no, I mean, it’s not for everybody. Sometimes guys get into development because it’s a better schedule, family-wise, and stuff like that. But I wouldn’t have any problem if I didn’t have a D coach. He would be a perfect fit for us.”
