MONDAY FEATURE: Bears' On-Ice Leadership Group Voted On By Their Peers

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HERSHEY, Pa. - When the Hershey Bears announced their captains for the 2022-2023 campaign, not many were surprised. But what might surprise some is the way that Dylan McIlrath, Aaron Ness, and Mike Vecchione earned those letters.

First year head coach Todd Nelson knew he had a room full of quality leaders with lots of hockey experience and intelligence, so he and the coaching staff took a step back and allowed the team to decide.

"I felt that I had to get to know the temperature of the room for what the guys are thinking, so we basically had a vote." Nelson explained.

Players were asked to write down the names of their top three choices for Captains. Nelson noted that McIlrath, a player he coached in Grand Rapids, was the clear front-runner, so he was named the 45th captain in franchise history.

McIlrath, who is now in his second year with the Bears, arrived in Grand Rapids during the 2016-2017 season, when Nelson’s team lifted the Calder Cup. The 10th overall pick in 2010 by the Rangers, McIlrath has appeared in 66 NHL games for the Rangers, Panthers, and Red Wings. He has appeared in over 500 AHL games, including a team-high 74 games with the Bears last season.

"It's kind of cool," McIlrath said when asked how it felt to earn the honor. "We did a vote, so to have your peers vote on it, and coaches make the final call. It's pretty special."

Vecchione agreed that it was an honor, but stated that it was pretty obvious who the front-runner would be for the captaincy.

"It was pretty unanimous who was gonna be captain. [McIlrath] does everything for us every night, defending guys, playing hard, playing the right way. And then, you know, [for] me and Ness, I was pretty honored just to have that respect in the locker room around the guys. So I was pretty excited for that."

Like McIlrath, Vecchione is also in his second year as a Bear. A year ago, Vecchione led the team in scoring. He is now in his fifth season, having previously appeared in three NHL games with the Flyers and Capitals and 272 AHL games.

The final alternate captain is in his second tenure with the Bears.

Aaron Ness, who played in Hershey from 2015-2018 has returned to the Bears after signing with Arizona following the 2018-2019 season. Ness appeared in 25 games with the Coyotes, 18 for the Capitals, and 29 for the Islanders, who drafted him in the second round in 2008, and a whopping 593 AHL games.

"Yeah, it's a good group. I mean, you know, there's still a few faces that are recognizable. You know, there's a lot of turnover, obviously, that's how hockey works," Ness said. "And, you know, I think the guys who they brought in, the players that are coming up through the organization as well are good people, good hockey players. So I think, you know, they're going to continue to excel. And that's kind of part of our job is to try to help them grow and learn how to play the game the right way. And then obviously, the ultimate goal is to play in the NHL. So we're just going to do the things we can here, win as many games as possible and kind of go from there."

All three have made an impact right out of the gates this season.

Vecchione scored a pair of goals, a late-first period tally against Utica which would become the game-winning goal, and a powerplay strike in the third period against Lehigh Valley the following night, originally credited to Mike Sgarbossa, which would also become the game-winning goal.

From the blueline, Ness's patience and ability to get the puck out of the defensive zone during opening weekend were just as evident as his willingness to put his body between the puck and his goaltender, which caused him to miss October 22's contest in Charlotte with a lower body injury. He was able to return to game action this past Saturday after missing two games.

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