The Detroit Red Wings hope that 2025 1st round selection Carter Bear is able to live up to his name. He’s only 18 years old and has been getting his first taste of experience in the NHL in Detroit’s pre-season.
So far, so good.
Despite the listless 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night, Bear was right in the thick of things.
He mixed it up with Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves during what were a series of frank disagreements on the ice between the two teams, demonstrating some of the tenacity that head coach Todd McLellan believes will not only improve over time but will lead to his being, as he described afterward, a “heck of a player”.
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“He’s involved in the game consistenyly, night after night,” McLellan said of Bear. “As he grows and matures, he’s going to get stronger and stronger, and those battles for him are going to be – not that he didn’t win his battles tonight, but they’ll be even more winnable becuase he’ll be stronger. A very smart player. Mother Nature will help him, and he’s going to work hard and he’ll be a heck of a player.”
“I Wasn’t Impressed”: Todd McLellan Speaks Bluntly After Red Wings Play Flat In 2-1 Loss To Penguins
The good news for the Detroit Red Wings is that their 2-1 setback at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins is that it won’t count against them in the standings, as it was the fifth pre-season game of their schedule.
Not only did Bear rank second overall last season with the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips in total penalty minutes with 77, he also showed his clear scoring touch by lighting the lamp 40 times.
For his efforts, he was appropriately named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team.
Bear explained that he hasn’t been intimidated by the physical nature of the NHL, and that he’s going to continue his playing style regardless of who the opponent is.
“I’m just trying to play my game,” Bear said. “I don’t care who I’m against, I’m just gonna try to play my game against them.”
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