2015 Draft - 3rd pick: Ethan Bear (2017: Named WHL D-Man of the Year)

[duul]

If Bear can get stronger, he will be scary. Smallish guy but he clearly loves to play physical. He was looking to kill people in the prospects tourney but missed a couple would be highlight reel hits. He shows no concern going into the corners as a smaller guy which might be a bad thing going forward.

I think if he gets real strong, he could be a unique player. How many offensively skilled defencemen do you see who love to take the body too in the NHL? Not many.

Stevens, young Phaneuf, Doughty?

 

[McMozesmadness]

If Bear can get stronger, he will be scary. Smallish guy but he clearly loves to play physical. He was looking to kill people in the prospects tourney but missed a couple would be highlight reel hits. He shows no concern going into the corners as a smaller guy which might be a bad thing going forward.

I think if he gets real strong, he could be a unique player. How many offensively skilled defencemen do you see who love to take the body too in the NHL? Not many.

Stevens, young Phaneuf, Doughty?

Best comparable I have for Bear is Ryan Ellis.

 

[snipes]

If Bear can get stronger, he will be scary. Smallish guy but he clearly loves to play physical. He was looking to kill people in the prospects tourney but missed a couple would be highlight reel hits. He shows no concern going into the corners as a smaller guy which might be a bad thing going forward.

I think if he gets real strong, he could be a unique player. How many offensively skilled defencemen do you see who love to take the body too in the NHL? Not many.

Stevens, young Phaneuf, Doughty?

Don't like any of those comparables. He's really a unique player, maybe Letang is the best comparable from what I've seen.

 

[MessierII]

Best comparable I have for Bear is Ryan Ellis.

Bear is way stronger and more physical than Ellis. Ellis to this day is 180 lbs. Bear is just under 200 right now. I don't know why people keep calling him small. He's not tall but he's a thick kid.

 

[McRobbiezyg]

If Bear can get stronger, he will be scary. Smallish guy but he clearly loves to play physical. He was looking to kill people in the prospects tourney but missed a couple would be highlight reel hits. He shows no concern going into the corners as a smaller guy which might be a bad thing going forward.

I think if he gets real strong, he could be a unique player. How many offensively skilled defencemen do you see who love to take the body too in the NHL? Not many.

Stevens, young Phaneuf, Doughty?

I'm thinking Francois Beauchemin is a good comparison.. not the styles but the type of player. big shot, takes the body. Hope he's got solid defense in him. If he ends up like Beauchemin, thats huge

 

[duul]

Beauchemin could be a good comparison. I don't see him as Letang or Ellis at all. He's far more physical than those players. Feisty and tenacious in his own zone.

 

[40oz]

Bear is way stronger and more physical than Ellis. Ellis to this day is 180 lbs. Bear is just under 200 right now. I don't know why people keep calling him small. He's not tall but he's a thick kid.

Yet Ellis probably played a more physical game in junior that Bear does now.

 

[Draiskull]

Defensively Bear is years away from being a reliable NHLer..
Looking good offensively but I fear his shot might not be good\hard enough to beat NHL goalies.

Long term project who had a fantastic season.

 

[Aceboogie]

All of the "bear is suspect defensively" comments are a bit odd considering the overwhelming concensus at the draft was he was strong defensively

Bear is a strong physical defender and has displayed strong shutdown upside this season with Seattle in the WHL and with team Canada at the U18 World Championships. Does a lot of things well, but mainly plays a strong defensive and physical game. Strong in front of the net and along the boards, doesn’t run around in the defensive zone and has good positioning. Developing decision making on the puck although prefers the simple, smart plays on the puck. Has shown above average hands and puck control with a good shot from the point. Upside is on his ability to anticipate and read the defensive zone but able to move the puck with ease and showing improved confidence.

Red Line Report:

Shutdown rearguard plays against the opposing teams’ top line every night and refuses to give away even an inch of space. Owns a laser shot that often finds the net – keeps it low and often produces dangerous rebounds. A good skater who likes to take the puck deep into the offensive zone and create chances, yet still has the speed to get back on defence.

Corey Pronman: “He’s not a really flashy guy, I don’t think he’s won a major accolade or anything of the sort. He was consistently impressive this season, especially against his own age group. I thought he looked good at the Ivan Hlinka and U18’s, he looked like one of the better 1997 defensemen. Throughout the entire WHL season he was very good—not amazing, but steady in both ends. He could move the puck, he played hard and showed good hockey sense on both sides of the puck.”

The overwhelming consenus was a strong defensive D with good puck moving and high IQ. So not sure what to make of Oiler fans saying he is suspect defensively. How many games of him have they watched? are they basing it off a NHL preseason game in which he was weak? did he actually regress defensively in favour of producing more points? was every scout who wrote about him off in their analysis?

 

[ChaoticOrange]

All of the "bear is suspect defensively" comments are a bit odd considering the overwhelming concensus at the draft was he was strong defensively



Red Line Report:




The overwhelming consenus was a strong defensive D with good puck moving and high IQ. So not sure what to make of Oiler fans saying he is suspect defensively. How many games of him have they watched? are they basing it off a NHL preseason game in which he was weak? did he actually regress defensively in favour of producing more points? was every scout who wrote about him off in their analysis?

It's weird seeing posts decrying his strength and defensive game when you see these scouting reports saying those are the best parts of his game. Says to me that Bear could be a very good, complete defender if he puts it all together and brings it on a nightly basis

 

[Aceboogie]

It's weird seeing posts decrying his strength and defensive game when you see these scouting reports saying those are the best parts of his game. Says to me that Bear could be a very good, complete defender if he puts it all together and brings it on a nightly basis

I think he is just a raw D man and this year had to take justifiable risks offensively to produce points, but this led to him being more exposed defensively

If he was a stud defensively and producing near PPG, hed be best D prospect in the league

I think its a positive thing tho, growing your offensive game is the hardest step for a D prospect. Hes shown he can be good defensively and now shown he can produce offensively. He just has to meld those together and that takes time. Look at a guyy like Marincin who was below him offensively and worse defensively. He came into NHL and succeeded based on D zone play and transition ability, not offensive skills.

If his offense can translate relatively well and he can bring back in his defensive game, wed have a good player

 

[40oz]

I don't think by any means Bear is bad in his own end, but its the area where he needs the most improvement. I never watched Bear specifically before the Oilers drafted him but in the time since its been clear to me that his offensive game is miles ahead of his defensive game (it's also miles ahead of the large majority of his competition).

Given the opportunity he makes great outlet passes, whether its a quick short pass up the boards or a long breakout pass. When he's under heavy pressure from the forecheck however I've noticed he tends to be a bit tentative and ends up being forced into turning over the puck. It's not like he's making risky or bad plays, he just needs to get quicker in his decision making and get stronger on the puck. People also need to remember that his team has a very solid defensive core and they tend to roll their defensive pairings, the top pair is arguably Smith and Hauff, two big 21-year olds who handled tough minutes.

 

[Digger12]

I don't think by any means Bear is bad in his own end, but its the area where he needs the most improvement. I never watched Bear specifically before the Oilers drafted him but in the time since its been clear to me that his offensive game is miles ahead of his defensive game (it's also miles ahead of the large majority of his competition).

Given the opportunity he makes great outlet passes, whether its a quick short pass up the boards or a long breakout pass. When he's under heavy pressure from the forecheck however I've noticed he tends to be a bit tentative and ends up being forced into turning over the puck. It's not like he's making risky or bad plays, he just needs to get quicker in his decision making and get stronger on the puck. People also need to remember that his team has a very solid defensive core and they tend to roll their defensive pairings, the top pair is arguably Smith and Hauff, two big 21-year olds who handled tough minutes.

Just my opinion, but in my admittedly limited viewings of Hauff during the WHL playoffs he looked like a completely terrible hockey player, other than being big and tall he was absolutely useless in my eyes. Can't skate, no breakout pass to speak of, numerous obstruction penalties due to his lack of mobility, IMO he was a boat anchor to every dman he was paired with.

If he was "top pair" material, I'm frankly shocked Seattle got as far as they did in the playoffs.

 

[40oz]

Just my opinion, but in my admittedly limited viewings of Hauff during the WHL playoffs he looked like a completely terrible hockey player, other than being big and tall he was absolutely useless in my eyes. Can't skate, no breakout pass to speak of, numerous obstruction penalties due to his lack of mobility, IMO he was a boat anchor to every dman he was paired with.

If he was "top pair" material, I'm frankly shocked Seattle got as far as they did in the playoffs.

Yah he's not great, but he's still a very impactful player at this level.

Here's a decent write up of the T-Brids roster that Seattle's ESPN guy wrote up for Brandon, since the two teams see so little of each other.

edit:

Jared Hauf — D

(Age 21; Calgary)

Seattle’s final overager, Hauf has been a mainstay in the Seattle lineup since his 16-year-old season. A former fourth-overall bantam draft choice, Hauf doesn’t score a lot of points, but that’s not his value to the team. At six-foot-five and 224 pounds, expect Hauf to lay at least one bone-crushing hit per game and act as the team’s enforcer. He spends his time on Seattle’s top pairing next to Smith and uses his long reach to clog passing lanes on both the penalty kill and at even strength.

Ethan Bear — D

(Age 18; Ochapowace, Sask.)

Next to Barzal, Bear is the only T-Birds player to average a point per game during this year’s playoffs, as he has 15 (six goals, nine assists) in 13 games. A fifth-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL draft, Bear quarterbacks the T-Birds’ top power-play unit and has a cannon of a slap shot. He came up huge in Seattle’s Game 4 victory over Kelowna, registering two goals and an assist. The five-foot-11 Bear has spent the entire season with Ottenbreit on Seattle’s second defensive pairing.

[Ottenbreit is actually Bear's best friend and is eligible for the draft this year]

 

[40oz]

Bear named WHL player of the week
http://new.whl.ca/article/thunderbirds-defenceman-bear-named-whl-player-of-the-week

 

[JordanGalhanth]

Pardon my ignorance, but is Seattle eliminated?

 

[Digger12]

Pardon my ignorance, but is Seattle eliminated?

Yes, lost in 5 games.

 

[Hynh]

It's weird seeing posts decrying his strength and defensive game when you see these scouting reports saying those are the best parts of his game. Says to me that Bear could be a very good, complete defender if he puts it all together and brings it on a nightly basis

People "know" that 5th round picks/defencemen/5'11" players/etc. can't possibly be for real so they take whatever a player is good at and say he sucks at the opposite. More often than not it's true

 

[Dazed and Confused]

You can also take the description "good defencively" in comparison to his age group.

Strong defencively for his age doesn't necessarily mean he's above average when compared to the league as a whole.


But you've got to like the situation he's in. He established himself this year, and next year he'll get to iron out his game on what looks to be a strong team.

The goal should be to get him hitting the ground running when he hits the AHL after next season. It should be easier for him than even Jones or Paigin, considering he's not going to need to fight for his role on the team, as he's the only RH defenceman in the system that's turning pro in the next few years.

 

[Roof Daddy]

Beauchemin could be a good comparison. I don't see him as Letang or Ellis at all. He's far more physical than those players. Feisty and tenacious in his own zone.

Have you ever watched Letang? Super feisty, loves mixing it up in scrums, has a strong physical side and is an opportunistic hitter that plays on the edge. Plus he never shies away from absorbing contact to make a play.

I'd be ecstatic if Bear turned into a poor man's Letang.

 

[McLotto 97]

Any word on if we are signing him?

 

[Bangers]

He kind of reminds me of MA Bergeron.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

He kind of reminds me of MA Bergeron.

Maybe, hopefully he thinks the game better.

 

[s7ark]

He kind of reminds me of MA Bergeron.

Bergeron was 5-6 or 5-7 when I met him.

 

[ChaoticOrange]

I had a brief twitter exchange with Mark Seidel from Central Scouting yesterday, and he said he sees Bear as having #4/#5 upside.

I'll take that all day long from a 5th rounder.