Hockey Operations Staff

After spending two seasons working on Troy Mann's staff as an assistant coach, Helmer was named the Vice President of Hockey Operations following the retirement of General Manager Doug Yingst. Helmer, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, oversees the day-to-day operations of the club's hockey department. He works closely with team's coaching staff, as well as the Washington Capitals, Hershey's NHL affiliate, on all decisions involving players and personnel.

Helmer was inducted in the AHL Hall of Fame in 2017 after an illustrious playing career. He is the AHL's all-time leader in points by a defenseman. He recorded 564 points (129 goals, 435 assists) in a remarkable 20-year career that totaled 1,117 regular-season games. Helmer is also the AHL's all-time leader in Calder Cup playoff appearances, having played in 159 postseason games. He won three Calder Cups in his career, including captaining the Bears to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Helmer also played 146 games in the NHL with Phoenix, St. Louis, Vancouver and Washington, totaling 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists).

Prior to returning to Hershey, Helmer served as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL in 2013-14. Helmer resides in the Hershey area with his wife Pam, son Cade, and daughter Rylan.

Under his watch, the Bears were the AHL’s best defensive team in 2020-21, allowing just 2.33 goals per game, en route to winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions.

A former defender, Wellar was a stalwart on Hershey's blue line during his playing career. He was part of Hershey's 2010 Calder Cup Championship team that went 60-17-0-3 in regular season play before ultimately claiming the franchise's 11th title. In total, the Carrot River, Saskatchewan native appeared in 260 games with Hershey, scoring 46 points (7 goals, 39 assists), and posting a +24 rating. He also appeared in 36 playoff contests with the club.

Following his departure from Hershey, Wellar served as a player/assistant coach with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies in 2014-15, and Alaska Aces in 2015-16. Upon his retirement, Wellar moved behind the bench permanently as an assistant coach with the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones, guiding the club to a 36-29-6-1 record in 2015-16. He joined the ECHL's Reading Royals for the 2017-18 season in the same capacity, helping the club secure a playoff berth with a 39-24-9-0 record, good for a third place in the North Division.

In his 12-year playing career, Wellar, a third round selection of the Capitals in 2002, amassed over 300 games in the AHL, making stops in Peoria, Worcester, Toronto, and Hershey. His resume also includes 441 games at the ECHL level, including an All-Star Game appearance in 2005. Wellar won the Kelly Cup three times, including with Alaska in 2006, South Carolina in 2009, and Reading in 2013.

Stuck became Hershey's assistant trainer in 1983, and then took a year away to become the assistant equipment manager for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. The following season, in 1985-86, he was named Hershey's Head Trainer, a position he held until moving into a new role in 2018. The man they call "Beaker," has witnessed championships in 1987-88, 1996-97, 2005-06, 2008-09, and 2009-10 under John Paddock, Bob Hartley, Bruce Boudreau, Bob Woods, and Mark French. Stuck, one of the most decorated trainers in the league history, is a veteran of over 2,600 games and worked seven All-Star games.

Stuck's main responsibilities include working with the hockey operations staff to help maintain the rich tradition of Hershey Bears Hockey within the locker room with the players and coaches. He coordinates team travel, and assists with the team’s community efforts.

Stuck lives in Palmyra with his wife Janice. He has a daughter, Alexis, as well as a son Dustin, who serves as the athletic trainer with the Providence Bruins.

Fliszar joined the Bears from the ECHL's Atlanta Gladiators. He worked as the club's head athletic trainer during the 2019-20 season. Prior to moving to Georgia, Fliszar gained experience with the ECHL's Norfolk Admirals, first serving as an athletic training intern, then being hired as the club's head athletic trainer in 2018.

A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Fliszar holds a bachelor's degree from DeSales University and a master's degree from Moravian College. He also has past experience as an athletic training intern at Old Dominion University, Lehigh University, and Palisades High School.

Carter has been around the Bears his whole life, and worked as a stick boy and locker room attendant for the Bears from the time he was 12 to his graduation from Elizabethtown High School in 2010. Carter is a 2013 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, where played hockey for the Vulcans and served as their equipment manager.

He spent the 2013-14 season as an Assistant Equipment Manager for the Anaheim Ducks before returning to Hershey to take the position of Head Equipment Manager. His uncle, Doug "Sluggo" Shearer, was the equipment manager for the Anaheim Ducks until 2018, and was a former equipment manager for the Washington Capitals (1983-2007) and Bears (1981-83).