The Red Wings have officially signed No. 13 overall pick Carter Bear to his first NHL contract, the team confirmed today in an announcement on X. It’s a three-year entry-level deal.
Bear, a relatively early birthday for the class in November 2006, is coming off his second full season of major junior hockey with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. The Winnipeg native posted 40 goals, 42 assists, 82 points, and a +33 rating in 56 outings to lead the team in scoring. He served as an alternate captain and was named to the WHL’s Western Conference Second All-Star Team at season’s end.
The 6’0″ left winger put up those numbers before a partial Achilles tear ended his season in March. Since he’s still rehabbing from that, it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for training camp – although Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects reported in May that Bear’s recovery was ahead of schedule and he could be ready for the World Junior Summer Showcase for Canada later this month.
While there’s likely room for fluctuation in his performance bonuses, Bear presumably signed a maximum-base salary entry-level deal that gives him a cap hit of $975K out of the gate. That cap impact could be reduced if he’s subject to an entry-level slide in 2025-26 by playing in fewer than 10 NHL games since his signing bonus for this season will be paid out regardless.
Bear is the 10th player from this year’s draft class to sign his ELC and the eighth first-rounder to do so.