Carter Bear’s first pro season is starting to look like the kind of opening that gets people in Detroit paying attention.
The Red Wings prospect, taken 13th overall in the 2025 NHL draft, has wasted little time making noise with the Grand Rapids Griffins. In Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs, Bear posted two goals and two assists, pushing his season line to five goals and 13 assists in 13 games.
That production has him near the top of the AHL’s scoring race early on. His 13 assists lead the Griffins and rank second in the league behind Coachella’s Tyson Jugnauth, who has 14. Bear’s 18 points are tied for first in the AHL with teammate Dominik Shine, Rochester’s Matthew Peca and Laval’s Luke Mittelstadt.
The goal that stood out Wednesday was the kind that fits his reputation. Early in the second period on a power play, Bear took a pass down low, picked his spot and fired a wrister over the left shoulder of Rockford goalie Stanislav Berezhnoy. It was the sort of finish that made him such an appealing draft pick for a Red Wings team that has struggled to score in recent seasons.
Still, what’s been most noticeable so far isn’t just the finishing touch. Bear has been piling up assists, and Grand Rapids has trusted him with major minutes on the power play. He has scored once and added six assists with the man advantage, earning a regular spot on the first unit.
“I feel good,” he said. “The guys have been unreal in this locker room.
We’re pretty tight, I would say. We’re always there for each other.
I think we just have a tight group, and it just goes onto the ice in how we play.”
That playmaking has not gone unnoticed inside the room. Forward John Leonard, who set up Bear’s power-play goal Wednesday, called him “a really smart player,” and added, “Fun to be around, joking around the room. Obviously, a really special player, and it’s fun working on the power play.”
Coach Dan Watson said the assist totals fit what he sees from Bear every night.
“He can shoot, he can make plays, he’s good along the walls, good around the nets, those hard-to-play areas,” Watson said. “He’s outstanding.
I really feel like he’s been outstanding for us over the past eight to 10 games. He’s really come on strong.”
Bear came into pro hockey with a scorer’s résumé, having put up 102 goals in 175 career games for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. But the 20-year-old has shown another side early with the Griffins, leaning into the passing game while he adjusts to a tougher league.
“It’s more physical and bigger guys and older players,” Bear said. “You just got to get used to the physicality.”
“You don’t get that many scoring chances in the league,” Bear said. “It’s definitely hard to find a shot on net or pretty plays. But obviously, I’m still learning, still a young guy.
“I’m still finding my way.”
That learning curve is part of the job for any prospect making the jump from juniors to the AHL, where the pace picks up and the bodies get heavier. Some players need time before the points start coming. Bear, at least so far, has found a way to make an immediate impact.
The Red Wings have already dipped into Grand Rapids for help this season, with Leonard and Sheldon Dries both getting NHL call-ups because of injuries in Detroit. If Bear keeps producing like this, he could be next to get a look.
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