The Everett Herald’s Joe Pohoryles checked in on Red Wings 13th overall draft pick Carter Bear two weeks after Detroit selected Bear in the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles. It turns out that Bear is still somewhat gobsmacked as to the fact that Detroit drafted him:
“I think it was just seeing my parents’ faces,” Bear told The Herald over the phone on Tuesday. “I think that’s just gonna stick out for a long time in our lifetime, obviously a lifetime memory for all of our family here. It’s unbelievable, like hard to explain that. I can’t really tell you how I felt that night.”
For Bear and his parents, Conrad and Misty, there was an overwhelming sense of pride, gratitude and even some shock. Bear said he had “no clue” that he was on Detroit’s radar, so he was legitimately surprised to hear his name called at No. 13.
His interactions with the Red Wings at the draft combine weren’t out of the ordinary, and even though he was never tipped off that they had interest in selecting him, the allure of potentially joining the Original Six franchise remained in the back of his mind.
“I think, during the draft process, it never really stuck up (in) my mind, it was just like, ‘What if?’” Bear said. “‘What if’ kind of thing, mindset, you know? So honestly, when they called my name I was pretty surprised, and I’m pretty grateful at first, too.”
Still, Bear is a businesslike young man, and he told Pohoryles that he enjoyed participating in the Red Wings’ Summer Development Camp:
“It’s pretty cool walking around there and seeing the guys that came out of the Detroit (organization),” Bear said. “All the staff that won a Stanley Cup with them in those 2000-years (2002 and 2008). It’s pretty special and (I’m) definitely going to learn from them through the years.”
Despite lacerating his Achilles in March, Bear recovered enough to participate in on-ice activities during development camp. He said his recovery is “going really well,” and he credited Detroit’s “unbelievable” training staff for helping him along the way as he builds back up to full strength.
However, Bear’s biggest takeaway from the camp was learning how to be a professional player and how to take care of yourself, which is a lesson Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan gave to the prospects when he stopped by the camp.
Continued; Bear tells Pohoryles that he expects to spend this upcoming season with his WHL team, playing for the Everett Silvertips before trying to turn pro as a 19-year-old (he has a November birthday, so he’ll be 19 this fall and 20 by November of 2026).
