Silvertips forward Bear elevated to ‘A’ rank by NHL Central Scouting

The rise continues for Everett Silvertips forward Carter Bear.

Ahead of the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada, NHL Central Scouting has elevated the 18-year-old product of West St. Paul., Man., from a ‘B’ rating to an ‘A’ rating on its Preliminary Players to Watch List for the 2025 NHL Draft.

NHL Central Scouting released its initial Preliminary Players to Watch List back on October 23, with 55 WHL players identified, including six ‘A’ ranked WHL players and 10 ‘B’ ranked WHL players. With Bear being boosted to an ‘A’ ranking, the WHL now boasts seven players in the top tier of NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Bear, a 6-foot, 177-pound centre, sits second in WHL scoring with 41 points (20G-21A) as he departs for the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, which will be contested this Tuesday and Wednesday in London and Oshawa, Ont., respectively.

Through 23 contests, Bear has only been held of the scoresheet five times. He has scored in bunches, registering three or more points in eight games, including a season high four points (2G-2A) in a 6-3 win at Swift Current back on October 12.

Prior to leaving for the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, Bear was riding a six-game point streak, having collected 14 points (6G-8A) along the way.

Selected by the Silvertips in the sixth round (132nd overall) of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Bear has steadily climbed the ladder in the hockey prospects world. Last season, he played his first full WHL campaign, recording an impressive 57 points (25G-32A) in 67 games.

In 109 career WHL regular season games, Bear has tallied 100 points (46G-54A). The 100th point of his WHL career goes into the archives as an empty-net marker in a 5-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday, November 23.

Bear and the Silvertips find themselves with a five-point cushion atop the WHL standings as of Monday, November 25, thanks to an impressive record of 19-3-1-1 (40 points). The Silvertips are the first WHL Club to reach the 40-point plateau this season and are on the verge of becoming the first WHL Club to hit 20 wins as well.

The ‘Tips success is coming at both ends of the rink, with 115 goals for leading the WHL and 64 goals against representing the second stingiest mark.

Next up, Bear will represent Team CHL at the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota Canada. Game 1 of the new event will take place Tuesday, November 26 (5 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. ET), from Canada Life Place in London, Ont., where Team CHL will face the U.S. National Team Development Program’s U-18 squad.

Game 1 can be viewed in Canada on TSN 4/5 and on NHL Network in the United States.

Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, November 27 (5 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. ET), at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa, Ont., and can be viewed in Canada on TSN 1 and on NHL Network in the United States.

Both games will also be available outside of Canada streaming on CHL TV.