Oilers: Ethan Bear and Opportunity

Of all the young defencemen in the Edmonton Oilers system, Ethan Bear has become a forgotten man of sorts. Be it the free-agent signing of Joel Persson, highly-touted prospects Evan Bouchard and Dmitri Samorukov or AHL holdovers Caleb Jones and William Lagesson, the list of blueliners looking to stick with the big club is a lengthy one. A crowded bunch to be sure but the 22-year old seems ready for the challenge.

Though not a complete surprise, the organization had to have been thrilled to see Bear show up to camp in the physical condition he did. After coming to last year’s training camp in less than ideal playing shape and battling injury for much of the first half of his season with the Bakersfield Condors, it looked as if the Regina native may have blown his opportunity to make another impression at the NHL level.

Bear Turning Heads Early in Camp

Despite struggling in his own end of the rink during his brief stint with the Oilers in 2017-18, Bear proved quite capable in two areas this roster desperately lacks. His ability to move the puck up ice and consistently unleash a heavy and accurate shot from the point was hard not to notice. Yes, he needed more time to round out his overall game but it was that skillset that made him such an attractive option.

The Oilers are in an interesting situation. Their backend still isn’t good enough but they have brought back five of their regulars from a season ago. And if everything goes according to plan over the next couple of weeks, they could have as many as four of the five names mentioned above pushing for a spot along the blue line. This could lead to Matt Benning and/or Kris Russell moving down the pecking order but that is a discussion for another day.

In other words, Ethan Bear could not have picked a better time to hit the ground running and prove he belongs in the NHL. He may not be the name fans or those within the organization were expecting to push for playing time but the player clearly recognized the opportunity at hand and appears poised to make a legitmate run at grabbing a spot and not letting go.