Bears Name New Strength and Conditioning Coach

The Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals announced today that Bears strength and conditioning coach Kurtis Freter has been promoted to Washington, where he will work in the strength and conditioning department for the NHL club. The organization has hired Kendall Nemish as the new strength and conditioning coach for the Bears. The announcement was made by Hershey Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer and Washington Capitals senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick.

Freter joined the Bears prior to the 2023-24 season, and was part of Hershey’s staff on the 2024 Calder Cup championship; during Freter’s tenure with the Bears, the club also captured the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2023-24, along with two Atlantic Division titles.

Nemish, 26, joins the Bears after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for the 2025-26 academic year. He spent the previous year as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of New Hampshire, where among his duties, he assisted with the school’s men’s and women’s hockey teams. He also served as the head strength coach for UNH’s field hockey and swim programs.

Nemish holds a master’s degree in exercise science which he attained at Merrimack College in 2025.

As an undergraduate, Nemish attended Christopher Newport University where he completed an internship with the Captains’ strength and conditioning staff. Nemish played hockey for the school’s club team, leading Christopher Newport in scoring, and he was named the 2021-22 Forward of the Year and served as an assistant captain.

Nemish’s experience also includes a strength and conditioning internship in 2025 with USA Hockey, as well as time with Dynamic Sports Performance in Reston, Virginia and Top Tier Performance in Prince William, Virginia. 

He also has experience working at Washington Capitals Development Camp, learning under his father, Mark Nemish, who served as Washington’s head strength and conditioning coach from 2007-23. 

The Bears open the 2026-27 season, presented by Penn State Health, at GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 3. The puck drops on the club’s 89th season in the AHL at 6 p.m. that evening as they host the Charlotte Checkers. Tickets to all home games go on sale this Friday, Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. For more information, visit HersheyBears.com.