Of Red Wings and mostly Carter Bear-related note this morning:
Bear spoke in a composed manner while discussing the “getting to know you” process that was the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff noted…
“Just very down to earth,” [Red Wings GM Steve] Yzerman said. “Just very nice young man committed to playing hockey. We go to the (NHL scouting) combine in Buffalo, we get to spend a half hour or so with them, but we pretty much kind of know what to expect going in. And you can imagine being 17, 18 years old going into an interview with a bunch of older guys that for these kids, it can be intimidating. As we spent time, he opened up a little bit with us.”
From Bear’s point of view, that’s the only person he knows how to be.
“This whole draft process, kind of probably being myself,” Bear said of the perspective he’s put into the past year of being poked, probed and prodded by hockey people. “Just being myself in those meetings.
“At the start of the year, you get a little nervous, for sure. But I gotta learn to just be myself. Just be yourself, because that’s what teams want when they interview you, for sure. And I guess that’s what you guys want me in these interviews, just to be myself. So I think that’s what I learned for myself.”
The Athletic’s Max Bultman also spoke with both Bear, Yzerman, and Red Wings assistant GM/director of amateur scouting Kris Draper about Bear’s positives…
“Very skilled, very tenacious. We like the way he thinks the game,” said Kris Draper, the Red Wings’ assistant GM and director of amateur scouting. “He’s a player that played in all situations. … He’s the type of player that, when you go watch him play, sometimes you walk out of the rink and just really appreciate the effort that he gave. He’s consistently, shift-in, shift-out — loves to get in on the forecheck. He’s relentless on the puck. Really appreciate the effort, compete, and the way he thinks the game.”
When I spoke to Bear at the NHL Draft Combine this month, he said he wanted to be known “as a tenacious guy” who “wants to win every battle, wants to win every shift.” That is easy to see on video, as Bear plays with a constant motor, finishes hits and is fearless in going to the hardest areas of the ice.
That all certainly appeals to the Red Wings, who have made clear that competitiveness is a key piece of what they consider “Red Wing DNA.” What makes Bear such a fit, though, is the skill and smarts he brings as part of that package. Combining those qualities — the tenacity and the touch — is what allowed Bear to score 40 goals and 82 points in just 56 games this season.
“The thing with Carter is, he can score in different ways,” Draper said. “He can score from the perimeter, the way he shoots the puck. He can score off the rush. He can score off the cycle. He gets around the net. So that’s obviously a skill in itself, not being one-dimensional, pure-shooter, or a guy that just scores goals one way.”
As did the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
In the immediate [present], general manager Steve Yzerman weighed in on why Bear will appeal to Wings fans.
“They’re getting a very intelligent hockey player, extremely competitive,” Yzerman said. “At the junior level, he really can score. We think all of his game translates to the NHL as well. I think our fan base will really take to him when the time comes that he is playing for the Red Wings because he competes hard, he’s a really good person. We are very excited about this pick. “
Bear (6 feet, 179 pounds) plays for Everett in the Western Hockey League. This past season he led the team with 82 points and 14 power play goals despite sustaining a partially torn Achilles tendon on March 9. That kind of productivity was one reason the Wings were so keen on him.
“I was fortunate to watch Carter play a lot before the injury,” assistant general manager Kris Draper said. “Very skilled, very tenacious. We like the way he thinks the game. He can play in all situations. There are a lot of things we liked about his game. He’s the type of player you go and watch play and sometimes you walk out of the rink and just really appreciate the effort that he gave. Consistently shift in and shift out, loves to get in on the forecheck. He’s relentless on the puck.
“Inner drive is something you can’t measure, but the way you can see it is you just keep going back to watch a player. That’s the thing – the consistency of how Carter Bear played. Never mind a night off does he take a shift off. That’s something we really appreciate.”
DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills spoke with Bear about the performance of his Major Junior team, the WHL’s Everett Silvertips…
“I’m really proud of our group,” Bear said about the Silvertips, who captured the WHL’s Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for the best regular-season record but fell to the Portland Winterhawks in Round 2 of the 2025 WHL Playoffs. “We accomplished so much this year. And my play, I think I did really well. Improved a lot on my game all around.”
Having wrapped up his second season with the Silvertips, Bear believes he’s certainly benefited from his time in Everett. Overall, the 6-foot, 179-pound forward has recorded 141 points (66 goals, 75 points) and a plus-53 rating in 142 contests with the WHL club since 2022-23.
“It’s a first-class organization for sure,” Bear said. “They helped me grow my game so much. The whole organization and fan base are unbelievable, so I can’t thank Everett enough.”
And Mills also spoke with Bear’s mother and father, Misty and Conrad Bear, regarding their son being drafted by Detroit:
“It’s awesome,” Conrad said. “He’s been working so hard. We surround ourselves with some good people and he’s part of a great organization with the Silvertips…He’s accomplished so much, so he’s on the right path.”
Misty said more than two dozen family members and friends traveled to Los Angeles to see Carter take the stage. And following Round 1, while embracing and greeting Carter, they all sported newly purchased Red Wings baseball caps.
“As a family, we all come together and support [Carter],” Misty said. “People went to early-morning hockey games in cold rinks, eating from the canteen and just waiting at hockey tournaments…He thanks us, but we thank our whole team. His attitude and character are from all the people he’s surrounded by too.”
As the Free Press’s St. James noted, the Red Wings chose to draft Bear despite offers to make a trade that would have dropped the team down in the draft’s order…
“You have some conversations with some teams that are interested in our assets and vice versa,” he continued. “Ultimately, at least up to tonight, I haven’t found anything that was a fit for myself or anyone that I’ve been speaking with.”
There was a trade right before the Wings picked, when the Pittsburgh Penguins flipped their pick at No. 12 to the Philadelphia Flyers for picks 22 and 31.
Yzerman was approached about flipping picks, too.
“We had a couple teams call us as our pick was coming near to see if we would move back,” he said. “As long as Carter was on the board, we were prepared to stay there. There were a couple other players as well that, had he been selected, we would have been more than comfortable with selecting.”
The Hockey News’s Jake Tye zoomed in a bit to discuss Bear’s attributes, as provided by THN’s WHL correspondent…
We spoke to WHL insider for The Hockey News, Dawson Petryshen, who saw Bear play in person just before his injury and can speak to the talent of the player.
“I did get the chance to see him live once, albeit early in the season and he may not have gotten on the scoresheet, he put on two shots and set up a couple decent chances,” WHL Insider Dawson Petryshen Explained on Bear “I can vouch for what others have said in that he’s a hard working forward that’s more often than not in the right place, and will make a much more positive impact when he’s on the ice.”
Detroit is always on the lookout for elite playmakers, and according to Petryshen, Bear could be a strong fit within the Red Wings’ system as a valuable role player.
“While he may not be a top line talent in the NHL, there is absolutely a future with him in a middle-six role that focuses on checking and providing about 40 points a year and some valuable penalty kill time,” Petryshen Said on Bear’s Fit in Detroit “If paired with a player like Andrew Copp for veteran presence, or given preseason reps with Lucas Raymond to boost his offence, the future is bright.”
The hope is that Bear grows into a player in the mold of Copp, but with the upside to produce 50 to 60 points, something both Petryshen’s insight and Bear’s WHL stats hint could be within reach. He plays with a high motor, sharp hockey sense, and a physical edge that fits identity of the city of Detroit.
Finally, the Free Press’s Christian Romo looked ahead to today’s 2nd through 7th rounds of the 2025 NHL Draft, in which the Wings are slated to draft eight more players:
The draft’s televised coverage will move from ESPN to the NHL Network, with streaming available on ESPN+ and Fubo.
Detroit enters Saturday’s action with eight picks left: one in each remaining round and an extra pick in the third and seventh rounds.
Detroit’s remaining picks are as follows:
Round 2: No. 44 overall.
Round 3: No. 75 overall (from the New York Rangers).
Round 3: No. 76 overall.
Round 4: No. 119 overall (from Tampa Bay).
Round 5: No. 140 overall.
Round 6: No. 172 overall.
Round 7: No. 204 overall.
Round 7: No. 211 overall (from St. Louis).
