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Ethan Bear

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Ethan Bear
Bear with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021
Born (1997-06-26) June 26, 1997 (age 27)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Carolina Hurricanes
National team  Canada
NHL draft 124th overall, 2015
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2017–present

Ethan Bear (born June 26, 1997) is a Cree[1]-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round, 124th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

He was drafted in the fifth round in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers from the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League (WHL).[2] He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers on July 2, 2016.[3] Bear made his NHL debut on March 1, 2018, in a game against the Nashville Predators.[4] He recorded his first NHL goal in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on March 25, 2018.[5]

Bear was the first player to wear a jersey with his name written in Cree syllabics (ᒪᐢᑲᐧ, Maskwa) during an exhibition match against the Calgary Flames on July 28, 2020.[6]

On December 28, 2020, Bear signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension with the Oilers.[7]

After his fourth year within the Oilers organization, Bear was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Warren Foegele on July 28, 2021.[8] In the following 2021–22 season, Bear tied a career high with five goals and added nine assists for 14 points through 58 regular season games. Struggling to fully adjust to the Hurricanes system, Bear was a healthy scratch through two rounds of the playoffs.

As a restricted free agent in the off-season, Bear was re-signed by the Hurricanes to a one-year, $2.2 million contract on July 28, 2022.[9] Beginning the 2022–23 season as a healthy scratch, Bear was traded by the Hurricanes alongside Lane Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2023.[10]

Personal life

Bear was born in Regina, Saskatchewan and raised on the Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Saskatchewan.[4][11] His older brother, Everett, also played hockey.[1] He is of Cree descent.[12] He faced racism from hockey fans relying on stereotypes for being a "lazy" player while growing up, which motivated him to work harder as he drew inspiration from his brother and other Indigenous hockey players, including Carey Price, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Montour, Arron Asham and Micheal Ferland.[13] In the summer, he gives back by running a youth hockey camp in Ochapowace.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Yorkton Harvest SMHL 38 7 28 35 30 5 1 1 2 0
2012–13 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 58 6 13 19 18 9 2 2 4 6
2014–15 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 69 13 25 38 23 6 1 2 3 0
2015–16 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 69 19 46 65 33 18 8 14 22 8
2016–17 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 67 28 42 70 21 17 6 20 26 12
2017–18 Bakersfield Condors AHL 37 6 12 18 12 — — — — —
2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 1 3 4 10 — — — — —
2018–19 Bakersfield Condors AHL 52 6 25 31 34 8 2 2 4 4
2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 5 16 21 33 4 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 43 2 6 8 14 4 0 0 0 2
2021–22 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 58 5 9 14 20 — — — — —
2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 61 3 13 16 25 — — — — —
NHL totals 251 16 47 63 102 8 0 0 0 2

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada Western U17 9th 5 0 1 1 0
2014 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 5 1 1 2 2
2015 Canada U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 3 3 6
Junior totals 17 1 5 6 8

Awards and honours

Award Year
SMHL
First All-Star Team 2013
WHL
West First All-Star Team 2016, 2017
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy 2017 [14]

References

  1. ^ a b Klinkenberg, Marty (March 1, 2018). "First Nations celebrate as Indigenous player Ethan Bear makes NHL debut with Oilers". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  2. ^ Bruce Mccurdy (June 25, 2015). "Oilers select Bear from the Thunderbirds". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  3. ^ "Oilers sign Ethan Bear to entry-level deal". Edmonton Oilers. July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Bartko, Karen (March 2, 2018). "Indigenous hockey player Ethan Bear makes NHL debut with great fanfare". globalnews.ca. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  5. ^ Wilkins, Reid (March 26, 2018). "Ethan Bears gets first NHL goal but Edmonton Oilers fall to Ducks in OT". globalnews.ca. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Tucker, Amy (July 29, 2020). "'An honour': Edmonton Oilers defenceman wears jersey with Cree syllabics". cbc.ca. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "RELEASE: Oilers sign Bear to two-year extension". NHL.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  8. ^ "Canes acquire Bear from Oilers". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Canes re-sign Bear to one-year contract". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "Bear, Pederson traded to Canucks by Hurricanes". National Hockey League. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ethan Bear's debut with Oilers has Ochapowace First Nation beaming with pride". cbc.ca. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  12. ^ Klinkenberg, Marty (March 1, 2018). "First Nations celebrate as Indigenous player Ethan Bear makes NHL debut with Oilers". Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 2, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ a b Muzyka, Kyle (October 3, 2018). "The next generation of Indigenous hockey players is aiming to break down stereotypes and inspire others". CBC. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "Oilers have award winning defenseman in Bear". thehockeywriters.com. March 3, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
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