Photo Credit: https://chl.ca/whl-silvertips
Every year, so-called draft experts put out a preseason mock draft that tries to project where potential draft-eligible players will be taken. And somehow, every year, there manages to be a few prospects whose unexpected play allows them to absolutely explode onto the scene, leaving us all stupefied to where they came from. One such 2025 NHL Draft-eligible player who has managed to do just that this season is Carter Bear. Now, if you don’t know Carter, he is an 18-year-old Canadian-born prospect who hails from the Indigenous Peguis First Nation Tribe of Manitoba.
But, like most players of Objiway and or Cree descent, Carter is used to being overlooked and having to fight for the respect he deserves. For example, Bear was not taken by his current team, the Everett Silvertips, until the 6th round of the 2021 Western Hockey League’s Bantam Draft.
And, oh, how they are glad that they did make that selection. Because so far this season, Carter has been operating at a near 1.70 point-per-game pace, compiling 14 goals and 13 assists for a total of 27 points in only 16 games played, which, if you do a little math means that he is currently on pace to finish the season with 60 goals and 55 assists for a total of 115 points!
But, while Bear does seem to be dominating his competition, given his unrelenting drive, superior edges, and exemplary finishing ability, he’s also proving to be more than just another forward who can accumulate points in bunches. Unlike most players his age, Carter plays a mature game. And what I mean by that is he understands that if he wants to succeed at the next level he better get back and play defense as well. Which, he does so flawlessly, as he currently is averaging a +16 rating on the year and is projected to finish the season a +68.
That’s why, for these reasons mentioned above, I feel Carter is one of the fastest-rising prospects in this draft class. Starting the season, viewed as a mid-round draft pick, Bear has quickly managed to hurtle himself past the masses to the point where he is beginning to pop up on a lot of teams’ radar. And, while he may still not be viewed as most teams’ first choice come draft day, I assure you whoever ends up with him, Bear will undoubtedly spend the next decade making them look very astute.
