The Detroit Red Wings are one of the clubs with the most robust prospect pipelines.
That’s what years of accumulating draft picks will do. And with those picks, the Wings took Carter Bear with the 13th-overall pick in 2025.
Now, Bear is ready to push for a lineup spot at the NHL level. If things go his way, he’ll make it on Opening Night.
In a recent interview with Marco D’Amico of R.org, Bear manifested how hard he’s been working to make the team this fall.
“I try doing me and just work my ass off,” Bear said. “Everyone’s goal is to make the NHL. That’s my goal, I feel like I have a chance. Everyone gets a shot, and it’s about being competitive and outworking guys.”
But he’ll need a place on the team. To do that, he’s developed his own identity. And that identity has been modeled after one of the best two-way forwards in the game, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brandon Hagel.
“Brandon Hagel is my player comparison,” Bear said. “That’s the guy I think I’m closest to in terms of style and competitiveness. He just overwhelms you with his motor and he does whatever it takes to win; not just about points.”
That’s what Carter Bear is all about. He plans to couple his skills with sheer hard work and determination.
If he can do that, the Red Wings might just have a Brandon Hagel of their own.
Carter Bear is willing to do whatever the Red Wings want
It’s tough for a young man to break into the NHL. He generally has to fight his way into the lineup, sometimes taking a spot away from a veteran player.
It that’s what Bear has to do, he’ll do it. In fact, he’ll do anything the Red Wings want him to do.
“I’ll do whatever Detroit wants me to do,” Bear said.
That sounds pretty much like what Hagel does.
For coach Jon Cooper in Tampa, Hagel is a Swiss Army knife. Hagel is a top-six forward who can score. But he can also kill penalties, play tough defensive matchups, and eat up those tough minutes that very few forwards can actually do.
That’s the place the Bear could carve out for himself. Whether it’s as a center or a winger, Bear wants to take on the responsibility.
With his attitude, it seems like he’ll get there.
“When I’m at the rink, I’m all in,” Bear said. “The staff believes in me, and I won’t let them down.”
That’s the ethos that the Red Wings hope everyone on the roster can embrace.
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Detroit going through transition period
Carter Bear is the result of former GM Steve Yzerman’s brainchild. The Red Wings legend devised a plan to transform the organization from a decaying empire into a resurgent one. For the most part, his moves worked out. While they haven’t borne the expected fruits yet, they could very well soon.
Bear could be one of them. If he becomes the sort of player that everyone envisioned upon selecting him, Yzerman, who’s no longer in the GM role, could look a heck of a lot smarter for believing in the talented young man.
Red Wings Might Just Have a Brandon Hagel of their Own