Ethan Bear

Ethan Bear (born June 26, 1997) is a Cree professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round, 124th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He represents Canada internationally, and won the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

Playing career Bear was drafted in the fifth round in the 2015 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers on July 2, 2016. Bear made his NHL debut on March 1, 2018, in a game against the Nashville Predators. He recorded his first NHL goal in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on March 25, 2018.

Bear was the first player to wear a jersey with his name written in Cree syllabics (; Maskwa) during an exhibition match against the Calgary Flames on July 28, 2020.

On December 28, 2020, Bear signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension with the Oilers.

After his fourth year within the Oilers organization, Bear was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Warren Foegele on July 28, 2021. In the following 2021–22 season, Bear tied a career-high with five goals and added nine assists for 14 points through 58 regular season games. Struggling to fully adjust to the Hurricanes' system, Bear was a healthy scratch through two rounds of the playoffs.

As a restricted free agent in the off-season, Bear was re-signed by the Hurricanes to a one-year, $2.2million contract on July28, 2022. Beginning the 2022–23 season as a healthy scratch, Bear was traded by the Hurricanes alongside Lane Pederson to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick. In 2023, Bear joined the NHL Player Inclusion Coalition.

After injuring his shoulder while playing in the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Bear had to rest for six months after receiving surgery. Following the surgery, he was not issued a qualifying offer by the Canucks. As Bear emerged from his recovery as an unrestricted free agent, Canucks insider Chris Johnston reported that, alongside the Canucks, the Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs expressed interest in signing him. An unnamed source told Postmedia that the Canucks' available cap space stopped them from re-signing Bear for the 2023–24 season. Bear signed a two-year, $4.125million contract with the Washington Capitals on December28, 2023. He debuted for the Capitals on December30, 2023, against the Nashville Predators.

After playing 24 games with Washington, Bear entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in March 2024. He was cleared to return to the team at the end of April. On October 3, 2024, the Capitals placed Bear on waivers. After clearing waivers, Bear began the 2024–25 season playing with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Appearing in 62 games, he led Hershey in scoring with 46 points, and tied for the league lead in plus minus rating (+33). In recognition of his play, Bear was named to the Second All-Star Team.

Having left the Capitals as a free agent, Bear was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders for the season on July 1, 2025.

International play

On May 5, 2023, Bear was named to Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, where he was scoreless in eight games. He won a gold medal, although a slash from Kasperi Kapanen at the end of the quarterfinal against Finland forced him to miss his team's final two games.

Personal life Bear was born in Regina, Saskatchewan. Of Cree descent, he was raised on the Ochapowace Nation near Whitewood, Saskatchewan. His older brother, Everett, also played hockey. While growing up, he faced racism from hockey fans who stereotyped him as a "lazy" player which motivated him to work harder. He drew inspiration from his brother and other Indigenous hockey players, including Carey Price, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Montour, Arron Asham, and Micheal Ferland. In the summer, he runs a youth hockey camp in Ochapowace. In January 2023, Ned gave birth to their first child, a daughter. The couple married in Kelowna, British Columbia, in July 2023. They welcomed a second daughter in July 2024.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2012–13 Yorkton Harvest SMHL 38 7 28 35 30 5 1 1 2 0 2012–13 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2013–14 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 58 6 13 19 18 9 2 2 4 6 2014–15 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 69 13 25 38 23 6 1 2 3 0 2015–16 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 69 19 46 65 33 18 8 14 22 8 2016–17 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 67 28 42 70 21 17 6 20 26 12 2017–18 Bakersfield Condors AHL 37 6 12 18 12 — — — — — 2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 18 1 3 4 10 — — — — — 2018–19 Bakersfield Condors AHL 52 6 25 31 34 8 2 2 4 4 2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 71 5 16 21 33 4 0 0 0 0 2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 43 2 6 8 14 4 0 0 0 2 2021–22 Carolina Hurricanes NHL 58 5 9 14 20 — — — — — 2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 61 3 13 16 25 — — — — — 2023–24 Washington Capitals NHL 24 1 3 4 10 — — — — — 2024–25 Hershey Bears AHL 62 10 36 46 30 2 0 0 0 2 2025–26 Bridgeport Islanders AHL 40 4 23 27 14 2 0 0 0 0 NHL totals 275 17 50 67 112 8 0 0 0 2

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2014 Canada Western U17 9th 5 0 1 1 0 2014 Canada IH18 5 1 1 2 2 2015 Canada U18 7 0 3 3 6 2023 Canada WC 8 0 0 0 4 Junior totals 17 1 5 6 8 Senior totals 8 0 0 0 4

Awards and honours Award Year SMHL First All-Star Team 2013 WHL West First All-Star Team 2016, 2017 Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy 2017 AHL Second All-Star Team 2024–25