Ethan Bear

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	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams	Washington Capitals Hershey Bears  (AHL) Edmonton Oilers Carolina Hurricanes Vancouver Canucks
National team	Canada
NHL draft	124th overall, 2015 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2017–present

Ethan Bear (born June 26, 1997) is a Cree (Ochapowace Nation) Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Washington Capitals 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. He represents Canada internationally, and won the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

Playing career

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

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. ^[5]

On December 28, 2020, Bear signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension with the Oilers. ^[6]

After his fourth year within the Oilers organization, Bear was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Warren Foegele on July 28, 2021. ^[7] 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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. ^[8] 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 2023 fifth-round pick. ^[9]

After injuring his shoulder while playing in the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Bear had to rest for six months after receiving surgery. ^[10] Following the surgery, he was not issued a qualifying offer by the Canucks. ^[11] As Bear emerged from his recovery as an unrestricted free agent, Canucks insider Chris Johnston reported that, alongside the Canucks, the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs expressed interest in signing him. ^{[11] [12]} An unnamed source told Postmedia that the Canucks' available cap space stopped them from re-signing Bear for the 2023–24 season. ^[13] Bear signed a two-year, $4.125 million contract with the Washington Capitals on December 28, 2023. ^[14] He debuted for the Capitals on December 30, 2023, against the Nashville Predators. ^[15]

After playing 24 games with Washington, Bear entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in March 2024. ^[16] He was cleared to return to the team at the end of April. ^[17] On October 3, 2024, the Capitals placed Bear on waivers. ^[18] After clearing waivers, Bear began the 2024-25 season playing with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. ^[19]

International play

Medal record
Representing   Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2023 Finland/Latvia

On May 5, 2023, Bear was named to Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where he was scoreless in eight games. ^[20] He won a gold medal, although a slash from Kasperi Kapanen at the end of the quarterfinal against Finland forced him to miss his team's final two games. ^[21]

Personal life

Bear was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. Of Cree descent, he was raised on the Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Saskatchewan. ^{[3] [22] [23]} His older brother, Everett, also played hockey. ^[24] While growing up, he faced racism from hockey fans who stereotyped him as a "lazy" player, which motivated him to work harder. He drew inspiration from his brother and other Indigenous hockey players, including Carey Price, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Montour, Arron Asham, and Micheal Ferland. ^[25] In the summer, he runs a youth hockey camp in Ochapowace. ^[25]

In October 2021, Bear and Lenasia Ned got engaged. ^[26] In January 2023, Ned gave birth to their first child, a daughter. The couple married in Kelowna, British Columbia, in July 2023. ^[27] They welcomed a second daughter in July 2024. ^[28]

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		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Washington Capitals	NHL		24	1	3	4	10		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				275	17	50	67	112		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			5	1	1	2	2
2015	Canada	U18			7	0	3	3	6
2023	Canada	WC			8	0	0	0	4
Junior totals					17	1	5	6	8
Senior totals					8	0	0	0	4

Awards and honours

Award	Year
SMHL
First All-Star Team	2013
WHL
West First All-Star Team	2016, 2017
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy	2017	[29]

References

1. Bruce Mccurdy (June 25, 2015). "Oilers select Bear from the Thunderbirds". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
2. "Oilers sign Ethan Bear to entry-level deal". Edmonton Oilers . July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
3. Bartko, Karen (March 2, 2018). "Indigenous hockey player Ethan Bear makes NHL debut with great fanfare". globalnews.ca. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
4. 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.
5. Tucker, Amy (July 29, 2020). "'An honour': Edmonton Oilers defenceman wears jersey with Cree syllabics". cbc.ca. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
6. "RELEASE: Oilers sign Bear to two-year extension". NHL.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
7. "Canes acquire Bear from Oilers". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
8. "Canes re-sign Bear to one-year contract". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
9. "Bear, Pederson traded to Canucks by Hurricanes". National Hockey League. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
10. "Report: Canucks are out on defenceman Ethan Bear". Vancouver Is Awesome. December 11, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
11. "Free-agent Ethan Bear skating with Capitals, expected to sign 'at a later date'". TSN. December 20, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
12. "Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs among teams with interest as FA Ethan Bear nears return". TSN. December 8, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
13. Johnston, Patrick (December 11, 2023). "Canucks likely out of the running for Ethan Bear". The Province.
14. "Capitals Sign Ethan Bear". Washington Capitals. December 28, 2023.
15. "Ethan Bear will make his Capitals debut against Predators". December 30, 2023.
16. "Capitals defenceman Ethan Bear enters NHL/NHLPA player assistance program". CBC.ca. March 27, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
17. Silber, Sammi (April 30, 2024). "Capitals' Ethan Bear Returns To D.C. After Time In NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program". The Hockey News. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
18. Horwat, Nick (October 4, 2024). "Capitals Place Defenseman on Waivers". SportsIllustrated.com. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
19. Oland, Ian (October 30, 2024). "Ethan Bear on refinding his footing with the Hershey Bears: 'This is just exactly what I needed'". RussianMachineNeverBreaks.com. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
20. "20 players named to Canada's National Men's Team for 2023 IIHF World Championship". Hockey Canada. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
21. Larivée, Jonathan (May 27, 2023). "Kasperi Kapanen injures Ethan Bear at World Championship". hockeyfeed.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
22. 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.
23. "Ethan Bear's debut with Oilers has Ochapowace First Nation beaming with pride". cbc.ca. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
24. 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.
25. 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.
26. "Fiancée of Canucks' Ethan Bear details "tragic" loss of their family dog | Offside". dailyhive.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
27. "Mr and Mrs Bear: Former Canucks defenceman married in beautiful BC wedding | Offside". dailyhive.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
28. Kerney, Caleb (July 15, 2024). "Former Oilers Defender Announces New Addition". The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers News, Analysis and More. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
29. "Oilers have award winning defenseman in Bear". thehockeywriters.com. March 3, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database
• Ethan Bear profile and statistics at TheAHL.com