Carter Bear

June 2025 – Selected 13th overall, Carter Bear is now a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Mark Henry

Final Rankings – If it weren’t for the injury, Bear could very well have ended up much higher than this: he has the intangible tools that every NHL team covets. He’s a relentless hard-worker, a constant pace-pusher, and plays a detailed game. He’s shown he can play an intentional, straight-lines checking game in addition to a more skilled, dynamic one. He’s played centre or the wing, either complementarily or as the main driver. He was one of the WHL’s highest scorers on one of its best teams—even if that was hampered later in the season by Everett’s injury issues and, therefore, greater defensive responsibility for Bear. In a draft whose top-end talent falls off abruptly, Bear offers a surefire top-six bet, so long as his recovery goes according to plan.—Luke Sweeney

January 2025 – It is impossible to envision a situation where Carter Bear is not at least a middle-six forward with a long NHL career. He’s one of the most dominant and intense checking forwards in the CHL: if there’s a battle he’ll win it. Especially considering he’s near the tops of the CHL in scoring, more and more people are starting to get on board with Bear’s offensive game as well. He’s inside driven, creates shots from in-tight, and can handle or make plays with pace. Carter Bear has one of (if not the) highest floors in the draft, and there’s reason to believe that his scoring could translate to a top-six role.  Luke Sweeney