Newest Red Wings Prospect All About Being Himself

In some mannerisms, newest Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear was not unlike any other NHL first round draft pick. He was excited, delighted, enthusiastic.

At the same time, there was a measured response from the Everett Silver Kings forward following his 13th overall selection by the Red Wings. He was calm and genuine in his responses. The moment did not overwhelm him. You got a sense that Bear sees this all for what it truly is – the next logical step in the plan.

It was that approach, almost as much as his impressive on-ice talents, that was convincing the Red Wings that this was their guy.

“He’s very honest,” Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman said. “Just very down to earth and hard working.”

The more they got to know him, the more the Red Wings brass came to admire and respect the character and straightforward assertiveness of the 18-year-old Bear.

“Just very down to earth,” Yzerman said. “Just very nice young man committed to playing hockey.

“We go to the (NHL scouting) combine in Buffalo, we get to spend a half hour or so with them, but we pretty much kind of know what to expect going in. And you can imagine being 17, 18 years old going into an interview with a bunch of older guys that for these kids, it can be intimidating.

“As we spent time, he opened up a little bit with us,

Red Wings Bear Staying True To Himself

From Bear’s point of view, that’s the only person he knows how to be.

“This whole draft process, kind of probably being myself,” Bear said of the perspective he’s put into the past year of being poked, probed and prodded by hockey people. “Just being myself in those meetings.

WELCOME TO HOCKEYTOWN, CARTER BEAR! pic.twitter.com/zuPVnLsZyw

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) June 28, 2025

“At the start of the year, you get a little nervous, for sure. But I gotta learn to just be myself. Just be yourself, because that’s what teams want when they interview you, for sure. And I guess that’s what you guys want me in these interviews, just to be myself. So I think that’s what I learned for myself.”

By not trying to impress anyone, Bear actually proves to be a much more impressive individual.

In closing, Yzerman was offering a message to Red Wings about the club’s newest prospect

“I think you’re really going to like . . . I know you’re really going to like him,” Yzerman said.