Detroit Red Wings draft Carter Bear: Here's what NHL experts are saying
With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Red Wings selected Carter Bear, an 18-year-old winger from the WHL's Everett Silvertips.
General Manager Steve Yzerman and the rest of the Red Wings front office is under pressure to bring the team back into contention. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs each of the last nine seasons, marking the longest playoff drought in franchise history.
But if draft position is any indication, the Red Wings are making slight improvements year-over-year. The Wings had a top-10 pick every year between 2017-23, with first-round draft picks like Mortiz Seider and Lucas Raymond turning into big-time contributors for the team. But Detroit has picked outside the top 10 in two straight drafts as the team's rebuilding process has developed.
Carter Bear is selected as the 13th overall pick to the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Yzerman and company are hoping Bear can soon help the Red Wings in their quest to playoff contention.
Here is what NHL experts are saying about the pick:
NHL draft experts on Red Wings first-round pick
Immediately after the pick, ESPN's Meghan Chayka praised Bear's well-roundedness.
"Consistency all around the puck. Well-rounded player, impacts all areas of the game," she said. "He actually had nine game-winning goals this season, and he was the sixth different player in Silvertips history to score over 40 goals."
ESPN analyst Kevin Weekes compared him to a prolific American winger.
"He has some T.J. Oshie in him," he said. "I think there's some unrealized offense."
Here are some of the immediate reactions from social media:
How to watch NHL draft day 2
Where: Peacock Theater, Los Angeles.
Date: Saturday, June 27.
Time: Noon ET.
Channel: NHL Network.
Rounds 2-7 of the 2025 NHL Draft will take place on Saturday, June 27, starting at noon ET. The draft can be watched on the NHL Network and streamed on ESPN+ and Fubo.
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