Red Wings Sign 13th Overall Pick to Entry Level Deal

The Detroit Red Wings announced they agreed to a three-year, entry level contract with 2025 first round pick, Carter Bear.

The Detroit Red Wings have officially signed 2025 first round pick Carter Bear to a three-year entry-level contract, bringing one of junior hockey’s most promising young forwards into the fold. 

Bear, who played for the Everett Silvertips, was selected 13th overall this past June, for being a standout in the WHL before an Achilles injury cut his season short with 12 games remaining. 

The 18-year-old from Winnipeg piled up 82 points and was on pace for nearly 100 over a full 68-game schedule, averaging 1.46 points per game.

General Manager Steve Yzerman called Bear "an extremely intelligent hockey player, very competitive and highly skilled," adding that he's "a special young prospect" in the eyes of the organization. Bear was soft spoken after drafted, saying he was speechless and deeply thankful for the opportunity with Detroit.

We spoke to WHL insider for The Hockey News, Dawson Petryshen, who watched Bear live just before his injury. “He may not have hit the scoresheet that night, but he was impactful—two shots, some smart setups, always in the right place,” said Petryshen. “He’s a hard-working forward who makes the players around him better.”

Detroit continues to prioritize playmaking and two-way intelligence, and Petryshen believes Bear fits that mold. “He may not be a top-line scorer, but he’s got the ceiling of a middle-six contributor—think 40 points a year with solid penalty-kill time,” he said, adding that a pairing with a veteran like Andrew Copp or preseason reps alongside Lucas Raymond could elevate Bear’s game. 

The ultimate hope is that Bear grows into a Copp-type presence with the upside to produce 50–60 points annually. Tough, smart, and built for the grind, Bear brings a blue-collar mentality tailor-made for the Motor City. Even with the setback of injury, his hockey sense, motor, and physicality position him well to become a regular in Detroit’s future lineup.