Carter Bear Takes Over AHL Scoring Lead With Four-Point Game, Red Wings Weigh Potential Call-Up Amid Offensive Struggles

While the Detroit Red Wings were likely on the road preparing for Thursday's matchup with the Florida Panthers, their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, played a midday game Wednesday. In the team's annual School Day Game, the Griffins beat the Rockford IceHogs 6-3 in front of students from around Grand Rapids.

Forward John Leonard led the way with a hat trick, but the performance drawing the most attention from Red Wings fans came from Carter Bear, Detroit's 13th overall pick in 2025. Bear scored twice and added two assists for a four-point afternoon.

He now sits tied for the AHL lead in points with five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 13 games. He shares the top spot with Griffins captain Dominik Shine, who has played two more games, Rochester Americans center and former NHLer Matthew Peca, and Montreal Canadiens prospect Luke Mittelstadt. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Bear and Mittelstadt are the only rookies in that group, and Bear leads all four with a plus-nine rating. That mark ties him for second in the league with Griffins defenseman William Lagesson and two other AHL defenders.

Bear's hockey IQ was on display throughout the game as a cross-ice feed to Leonard set up Grand Rapids' second goal, and he also showed off his defensive skills. 

On a second-period power play, Beat lost his stick but still battled a Rockford player for the puck and kicked it back to the blue line to keep the offensive zone possession alive. It was one of many impressive takeaways on the night as Bear later in the man advantage would show off his shot, burying an in-tight, top-shelf goal to give the Griffins a 3-1 lead.

It was the latest in a string of strong performances as Bear has recorded a point in all but two of his 13 games this season and is riding a three-game multi-point streak. During his six-game point streak, he has three goals and ten assists for 13 points and is a likely candidate for AHL Player of the Week after Shine claimed the award this past week.

If Bear keeps producing well above a point per game, the question becomes when the Red Wings will bring him up. Detroit could use the help, with the 20-year-old's offensive talents a potential boost for a team ranked sixth-worst in the league in scoring at 2.58 goals per game.

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.