Ethan Bear | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | June 26, 1997||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb) | ||
Position | Defence | ||
Shoots | Right | ||
NHL team Former teams |
Washington Capitals 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[1]-Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for 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.
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]
On December 28, 2023, Bear signed a two-year contract with the Washington Capitals worth $4.125 million.[11] He made his debut with the Capitals on December 30, 2023 against the Nashville Predators.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14]
Personal life
Bear was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised on the Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Saskatchewan.[4][15] His older brother, Everett, also played hockey.[1] He is of Cree descent.[16] 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.[17] In the summer, he gives back by running a youth hockey camp in Ochapowace.[17]
In January 2023, Ethan and fiance, Lenasia Ned welcomed a baby girl, Gracie Bambi Bear. On July 29 of that same year, Ethan and Lenasia were married in Kelowna, B.C.
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 | 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 | [18] |
References
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Bruce Mccurdy (June 25, 2015). "Oilers select Bear from the Thunderbirds". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Oilers sign Ethan Bear to entry-level deal". Edmonton Oilers. July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- 1 2 Bartko, Karen (March 2, 2018). "Indigenous hockey player Ethan Bear makes NHL debut with great fanfare". globalnews.ca. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Tucker, Amy (July 29, 2020). "'An honour': Edmonton Oilers defenceman wears jersey with Cree syllabics". cbc.ca. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ↑ "RELEASE: Oilers sign Bear to two-year extension". NHL.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ↑ "Canes acquire Bear from Oilers". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ↑ "Canes re-sign Bear to one-year contract". Carolina Hurricanes. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Bear, Pederson traded to Canucks by Hurricanes". National Hockey League. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ↑ "Capitals Sign Ethan Bear | Washington Capitals". December 28, 2023.
- ↑ "Ethan Bear will make his Capitals debut against Predators". December 30, 2023.
- ↑ "20 players named to Canada's National Men's Team for 2023 IIHF World Championship". Hockey Canada. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ↑ Larivée, Jonathan (May 27, 2023). "Kasperi Kapanen injures Ethan Bear at World Championship". hockeyfeed.com. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Ethan Bear's debut with Oilers has Ochapowace First Nation beaming with pride". cbc.ca. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ↑ 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.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "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