ARLINGTON, Va. — Former Hershey Bears coach Spencer Carbery has been hired as the new coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals, the team announced Tuesday.
"We are extremely pleased to name Spencer as our new head coach," said Capitals senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan. "Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached. We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career."
Carbery coached in Hershey from 2018 to 2021. During that time, the Bears posted a combined record of 104-50-9-8 (.658 point percentage), including an AHL-best 24-7-2-0 record (.758 point percentage) in his final season behind the Bears' bench in 2020-21.
"It's a tremendous honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the Washington Capitals," said Carbery. "I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team. I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place. I would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for all their support over the past two years and wish them all the best in the future."
Carbery, 41, becomes the 20th head coach in Capitals franchise history and returns to the organization after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs.
With Toronto, Carbery was responsible for the team's power play and oversaw the team's forwards. In his first season with the club in 2021-22, the Maple Leafs ranked first in the NHL in power play percentage (27.3), a 7.3-percent improvement from the previous season. Over two full seasons, Toronto converted on 26.6 percent of their power-play opportunities, the second-highest rate in the League during that span.
In addition, Maple Leafs forwards ranked fourth in the NHL in goals (251) and points (589) during the 2022-23 season and second in goals (277) and third in points (652) in 2021-22.
In his final season with Hershey, Carbery received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding coach for the 2020-21 season, becoming the fifth coach in Hershey franchise history to win the award.
During his three-year tenure with Hershey, Carbery coached and aided in the development of several players that appeared in games with the Capitals during the 2022-23 season, including Martin Fehervary, Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael, Alex Alexeyev, Beck Malenstyn, Lucas Johansen and Joe Snively.
The Victoria, British Columbia native spent five seasons as head coach and director of hockey operations for the South Carolina Stingrays from 2011 to 2016, with the Stingrays serving as the Capitals' ECHL affiliate in Carbery's final two seasons in South Carolina.
Carbery compiled a record of 207-115-38, leading the Stingrays to the Kelly Cup Playoffs in each of his five seasons. In total, Carbery guided South Carolina to two division titles, two Eastern Conference Finals appearances and a Kelly Cup Finals appearance in 2015.
In 2013-14, Carbery won the John Brophy Coach of The Year Award after leading the Stingrays to their first division title since 2000-01. Carbery is one of four coaches to ever win coach of the year awards at both the AHL and ECHL levels.
In addition to his time with the Maple Leafs, Bears and Stingrays, Carbery served as head coach of the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2016-17 and was an assistant coach with the AHL's Providence Bruins in 2017-18.
Carbery, whose coaching career began in 2010-11 as an assistant coach with South Carolina, played parts of two seasons with the Stingrays and helped the team capture the Kelly Cup in 2009.
That same season, Carbery was honored as the Stingrays' inaugural Jerry Zucker Community Service Award winner for his work in the Lowcountry community.
Carbery, a forward, played 181 games over three ECHL seasons with Bakersfield, Stockton, Fresno and South Carolina and 63 games in the CHL with Tulsa. Carbery graduated from St. Norbert College, where he played for three seasons after playing one season at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Carbery and his wife, Casey, have two children, Hudson and Vivian.