Red Wings newest first round pick Carter Bear could get extended look at making the jump to pro hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Detroit Red Wings 2025 first round pick Carter Bear will be an exciting addition to the team's prospect pipeline. In The Hockey News' recent Yearbook issue, writer Bob Duff ranked Bear as the Red Wings' second-best prospect behind defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka and ahead of notable names like Nate Danielson, Trey Augustine and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
This upcoming season, Bear is expected to return to the WHL and play for the Everett Silvertips but what if this story was to change?
Bear is already at a decent 6-foot but could add a bit more muscle, weighing in at under 180 pounds. He could spend the season with the Silvertips and build up his strength or he could opt to do so at the pro level. Nothing is ever set in stone and if Bear goes to training camp and excels, there's a chance he could instead play pro hockey at the AHL level.
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Not much will be in Bear's way in terms of opposing talent at the WHL level as the league has been picked clean with players like Gavin McKenna and Cayden Lindstrom leaving for the United States and the NCAA. It leaves lesser competition for Bear than what he would be getting at the AHL level with the Grand Rapids Griffins. It's a nerve-wracking move to make as an undersized player could struggle and lose confidence when making the jump to pro hockey bit it could be what Bear needs.
The Manitoba native will be entering a weaker WHL that he just finished dominating for 40 goals and 42 assists for 82 points through 56 games this past season. He is well ahead of the players around him and continuing to leave him in the juniors just to add weight could leave him with little challenge. The best option could be one where he does both as he could start out the season with the Silvertips, add weight and then proceed to make the jump to the AHL towards the end of the season and play a couple games to get used to the pro style of play.
This has been done with several prospects before like this past season in Grand Rapids with Sandin-Pellikka, who finished the season with the Griffins and played five games across the regular season and playoffs. The hope is that Bear would get more time than that with the Griffins but it could depend on his development with his weight. One thing for certain is Bear's off-season will be examined more thoroughly as an early jump to pro hockey at just 18 years old could mean Detroit fans seeing Bear wear the winged wheel could happen sooner than expected.
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