Carter Bear could be difference-maker the Detroit Red Wings need

Early Sunday evening, the Grand Rapids Griffins found themselves up 1-0 against the Chicago Wolves. The Wolves, however, were swinging momentum their way. Essentially a game of keep away with less than five minutes left of the second period, the Griffins looked out of it -- with the exception of Michal Postava, that is.

Then, a quick pass from William Lagesson to Shai Buium, who breaks the puck up the ice to Ondřej Becher who drops the puck back to Carter Bear. Bear looks to Dominik Shine, but the Chicago defenseman took away the passing lane, so Bear rips a shot. Just like that, Grand Rapids found themselves up 2-0, killing the momentum the Wolves had meticulously earned over a quarter of the period instantly. 

Postava is, of course, the big name on campus right now. As he showed in his single start against the Edmonton Oilers, he's the real deal who just biding his time in Grand Rapids until the Detroit Red Wings make a spot for him on their roster. Thankfully, instead of being bitter, Postava is just back to the grind as usual. Meanwhile, his abilities free his teammates to find their games without having to rush or try to press for offense. 

Bear is just one example of a player who benefits from Postava’s sound goaltending -- something the Wings just cannot buy at the NHL level. 

Carter Bear establishing himself with the Griffins

When watching Bear’s game closely, it’s not hard to convince a wandering mind of several things. 

Bear would provide an immediate jolt of adrenaline to the lineup. Although the Red Wings have looked fairly energetic throughout the season (especially since Dylan Larkin quit for a second time this season), there are definite lulls that need to be addressed. 

An easy way to do so is to bring in energy guys. Guys that, no matter the score or time in the game, will give their all. The ones that are great in building momentum swings or crushing the swings the opponent is building. Bear has proven he has those key characteristics.

No matter where his team is at on the scoreboard or time clock, Bear plays the same way every single shift. It’s like game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs every shift for Bear. It’s a similar philosophy to Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Viktor Arvidsson. They aren’t afraid of the dirty work, buzzing around the net, or stirring the pot with the opponents. 

While Brandsegg-Nygård and Arvidsson are a bit more light in their approach, they seem to have fun while playing the game, Bear is heavy, a bit more stoic. There’s no sense of goofing around or playing like a kid -- not that either Brandsegg-Nygård or Arvidsson necessarily do, they just have a different approach to the game than Bear. 

It’s as though he's looking to prove his worth each shift. This is a sentiment that echoes back to his hockey career so far.

How Bear got to this point

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Bear grew up in the ultra-competitive Canadian youth hockey environment. He wasn’t looked to as a bonafide star and had to earn every second of ice time he had at the World Juniors under-20s. In that tournament, Bear only played in two games. Even though the coach was impressed with Bear’s play, he still favored other players. Nonetheless even being invited to camp for Team Canada was an accomplishment in its own right. 

Bear still seems to carry that chip on his shoulder. Instead of letting it drag him down, though, he uses it as motivation. It’s a similar motivation to Moritz Seider’s intention of proving people wrong about his Red Wings. Adding another player with a similar mentality to Seider may help the Wings from entering lulls like they had against the St. Louis Blues early afternoon Saturday (thanks for the early Halloween trick-or-treat, I suppose).

Second, when Bear plays he serves as a perfect foil for another Detroit player. Lucas Raymond is on a heater right now. It doesn’t matter so much who Raymond’s playing with or what role in the lineup, he’s just finding ways to score with 13 points n his last 12 games.

Brandsegg-Nygård is a great line mate for Raymond. Yet, inquiring minds can’t help wonder how Bear would look opposite Raymond. 

What Bear could bring to the Red Wings

While Brandsegg-Nygård and Bear possess a similar toolkit from the outside, there are nuances from Bear that seem to compliment Raymond’s style of play just that much better.

It's hard to argue with Viktor Arvidsson, as well. At this rate, he might very well go down as the best free agent signee in Steve Yzerman's tenure with the Red Wings.

Arvidsson has played excellently opposite DeBrincat and Raymond alike. If there are injuries or the top-six become stale, injecting Bear’s energy to either line would be ideal. Particularly with Raymond, though, Bear is great with the give-and-go style of play. Also, Bear has a knack for positioning well in the offensive zone.

Whether it’s a scoring chance for himself or his teammates, Bear is a bit intuitive with the play. It’s similar to Raymond’s intuitive play where their instincts take over. 

Regardless of where Bear finds himself in the Wings’ lineup, he would bring even more youthful exuberance and energy to this exciting young lineup.

While Bear started off slow, he's quickly begun to produce. In just his first nine games of the season, Bear is a point per game with three goals and six assists. As expected, Bear’s taken a few penalties (six minutes worth), but is a Griffins-leading +7. 

Plus/minus isn’t as relied on in modern hockey. When compared with other players, though, it can provide a bit of interesting discussion. 

When we look at the top scorers for Grand Rapids, Bear is in the top-three (albeit with two fewer games played than the top two). Dominik Shine and Jesse Kiiskinen have 11 points a piece, with Kiiskinen scoring six times and assisting on five and Shine the inverse (five goals to six assists). Both leading scorers are 4. 

For context, the next closest in plus/minus is defenseman William Lagesson, who is off to a stellar start with the Griffins already.  Interestingly enough, Lagesson sits with seven total points (four goals and three assists). 

For the lack of success (at least in terms of  offensive production) Bear had to start the season—Bear didn’t record his first point until October 17, Bear is finding points as quickly as anyone, or so it seems:

In just over two weeks or six games, Bear has recorded all of his nine points -- an astounding feat for any player. The fact that Bear is a first year pro makes it all the more impressive. His team leading plus/minus also indicates that he is playing sound defensively and isn’t just a power play merchant in terms of offensive production—he hasn’t even scored a goal on the power play (yet).

For a Detroit Red Wings team that hinges on creating energy, reading and changing momentum within a game, Bear is someone who needs to be called up sooner than later. Where Bear starts in the lineup doesn’t really matter even though he seems destined to be Raymond’s little buddy.

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