This weekend marked the start of the annual prospect tournament held by the Detroit Red Wings. Every year, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets and Red Wings bring their prospects out for a tournament and showcase of what's in the pipeline.
This time around, things are a little different.
For starters, the team is no longer playing in Traverse City as they have in years past. This time around, it's at the BELFOR Energy Center in Little Caesar's Arena. It's likely less of a logistical headache for the front office(s), but it's certainly a disappointment for fans who have come to look forward to it every year.
The Red Wings so far are 1-1-0 in the tournament, finishing with a shootout win against the Stars and a late loss to the Penguins. While prospects like Trey Augustine and Nate Danielson have had standout games, no one has been as dominant as 2025 first round pick Carter Bear.
Carter Bear's tournament dominance
When looking at a stat sheet, some may be underwhelmed by the point totals. Bear has one assist in two games, setting up an early Theo Rochette goal in the second game of the tournament. But when you dig a little deeper, something becomes clear: despite the low scoring, Bear is utterly dominant.
In his first game alone, Bear had ten shots on goal. Yes, you read that correctly: ten shots. In all fairness, Stars goaltender Arno Tiefensee played out of his mind and managed to stonewall Bear. Despite that, however, Bear made quick work of beating the defense, showing he's a cut above the competition.
This wasn't just against Dallas, either. Take a look at how quickly Bear is able to cut across the ice and fire off a shot in last night's game against the Penguins:
Bear good cut and shot #LGRW pic.twitter.com/cYW1rnqAkl
September 14, 2026It's almost effortless. Like he knows how the play's going to go the moment he touches the puck.
Bear still has a ways to go
Before you start penciling Bear in the opening night lineups, it's important to note that this is just a prospect tournament. This talent level is nowhere near what he'll hypothetically see at an NHL level. He still has to make his way through training camp and the preseason before he can be considered NHL ready.
While his NHL prospects may seem high right now, it's important to temper those expectations. After all, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard made the NHL last season but spent the vast majority of it in Grand Rapids. Worst of all, when he came back, he played just a few minutes a night on the bottom line.
There's a chance Bear makes the opening night roster. But there's also a chance the Red Wings prefer to see him play top line minutes in the AHL. Either way, Bear is on the right track to make it to the NHL, whether that's on October 2 or in the future.
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