[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Aces Edition, Vol. 9):

C/LW Carter Bear (6'0",176lbs)
Everett (WHL): 56gp/ 40g/ 42a/ 82pts, +33, 77 PIM

The Everett Silvertips were the best team in the WHL's regular season, but were unfortunately eliminated in round # 2 of the playoffs in 7 games by the Portland Winterhawks. One of the main reasons the 'Tips didn't get a chance to play for the Championship was that they lost their best player, C Carter Bear (ranked # 10 NA Skaters, # 15 by McKenzie, # 22 by Button) to a season-ending injury on March 7th, which turned out to be a ruptured achilles tendon. Bear, who wore an "A" for Everett, played mostly on the wing this season, and has age working against him, with a Nov. 4, 2006 birthday, but he's one of the hardest-working players in this draft-class; he's a gritty, physical winger with sky-high motor, smarts and skill, and a stifling two-way presence. Bear is hard-nosed and rugged, gets inside position on opponents with regularity, and uses physicality to gain advantages, create space, and win possession. Engaging early and often, he throws big hits, and competes hard in all of the hazardous areas of the ice- and with his dogged determination, he comes up with the puck much more often than not. He is energetic and highly competitive, and drives an unmatchable pace with a motor that never quits. Bear plays through contact, is more than willing to take a hit to get the job done, and never gives up on a play- putting in multiple efforts to win pucks in battle. With intensity and tenacity, he forechecks with purpose and desperation, attacking puck-carriers at full-throttle, catching his prey often with thunderous bodychecks, and causing nightmares for defensemen in retrieval as a constant irritant.

Like a true goal-scorer, he has the instincts to locate splinters of space in the slot to unleash his dangerous wrister, drives the net for rebounds, and plants himself in-front- never being deterred by having to battle for positioning, while cleaning up garbage in the crease. He scores goals like the pros do, with soft-hands in-tight, and keen hand-eye coordination for tips; he owns a strong catch-and-release wrister that can stun goalies, a sharp snap-shot with precision in tight-areas, and a blistering one-timer. He will need to upgrade the power in his release though, and work on his shot-selection for the next level, but he scores most of his goals in-close anyway. Bear drives play, and exhibits high-end vision, awareness, and creativity, with a talent for manufacturing space for himself and his teammates; he baits pressure with patient delays, and forces defenders back off the rush to make room at the top of the zone. He can spot passing seams that few others could, and gets pucks to teammates on the other side of traffic, with saucers over sticks, and slips between feet, and the soft-touch to put the perfect amount of weight needed behind his feeds- right to his target's blade. He can transfer the puck across the ice and through traffic, or through the crease to a recipient waiting in high-danger. He exerts a fantastic knowledge of where to be on the ice to create offense, get shots off, and be a consistent viable option for teammates.

Bear's puck-pursuit and details in all three zones are elite; he disrupts retrievals, forechecks with intensity, intercepts breakouts, snuffs entries, and is a stalwart in his own zone. Displaying keen awareness, he flies in the face of his attackers with ferocity to apply near- insurmountable pressure, and to remove every stitch of space and time. He is consistently well-positioned, and anticipates well to get into lanes, intercept passes, lift sticks, and poke pucks off of sticks- he will also put his body on the line to block shots. Bear launches himself into battles, throws his weight around to dislodge pucks, and skates into hands to separate man from puck. Skating-wise, his stride is a work in progress as far as his mechanics go, and his edgework is slightly deficient, but he generates excellent straight-line speed off of his high-end work-ethic and tenacity. His puck-skills are more than adequate, showing good control at high speed, the ability to bob and weave through traffic, tight puck-protection, and he can even walk defenders at times. Though age works against him, and he's not an ideal size for someone who plays his style, he has the grit and skill to be a top-line winger in the NHL some day, and will surely be picked in the first-round.