HERSHEY, Pa. — The Hershey Bears have named defenseman Aaron Ness their 46th team captain in franchise history.
Ness succeeds previous Bears captain Dylan McIlrath who is currently playing with the Washington Capitals after making the parent club out of training camp.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by Head Coach Todd Nelson in front of the team after their morning skate.
"It means so much. It's such an honor. Everyone knows who the Hershey Bears are," said Hershey Bears Defenseman Aaron Ness. "To wear this letter and represent this team is something really special."
For Nelson and the rest of the coaching staff, it was an easy decision based on Ness' character both on and off the ice.
"I have complete confidence in him. He's always been a leader and with our group, the guys all look up to him," said Hershey Bears Head Coach Todd Nelson. "He's a veteran [and] has been around the game a lot. He knows what it takes to win in Hershey. He knows what the franchise means to the people here in Hershey, so it's the complete package."
The announcement was also made with three special guests, Ness' wife Samantha and his two sons Carter and Henrik, in attendance. It was Carter who presented his dad with his newly minted 'C' jersey. It's a family-oriented presentation that reflects the type of culture the Bears continue to foster.
"It's really special to have them get to see this and kind of live it and see what it's all about," said Ness. "To see the joy on their faces, and they might not even understand what's going on yet. So it's going to be something fun to look back on. My wife and kids are the reason I do this."
"Everybody in that dressing room was really excited for Ness to Be Announced captain. After [it] was announced, everybody came up to him, gave him a hug, shook his hand, and that's the way it should be," said Nelson. "Family first. That's that's the way it is here in Hershey."
This is not Ness' first time being named the face of a franchise. Back in the 2014/15 season, Ness wore the 'C' for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers before moving on to the Bears a season later.
"I've learned a ton. I think it comes with time. It comes with being in different situations, different roles, with different teams," said Ness. "I think I've found my role here, and I feel comfortable with it, and I'm excited to do everything I can, leadership-wise and hockey-wise, to continue to help his team win."
Despite the new letter that now will be seen on Ness' jersey, the goal remains the same; to bring back a Calder Cup to the sweetest place on Earth for the third time in a row.
"For me, it's just continuing to do everything I can for this team and obviously win as many games as we can, and then see what happens again this year in the playoffs," said Ness. "There's one goal, and then once you've [won the cup] a couple of times, that's the only goal. So to me, that's, that's always the goal, that's always what I'm thinking about."