A new voice is coming to the bench of the Washington Capitals.

Patrick Wellar was hired as an assistant coach, the team announced on Wednesday.

The Capitals fired former assistant Mitch Love in October after an investigation into allegations that arose while he was interviewing for multiple head-coaching jobs around the league.

Wellar, 41, spent the past seven seasons with the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, where he oversaw the defencemen.

He helped lead the Bears to Calder Cup victories in 2023 and 2024.

The Carrot River, Sask., native is also a Capitals draft pick, having been selected in the third round in 2002. However, he never reached the NHL, instead spending 12 seasons bouncing between blue lines in the AHL and ECHL.

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