Ethan Bear

[ridethesnow]

Looks like he could have a gig next season with pp time... Just wondering if anyone has any info on what to expect short and long out of him. TIA

[Dobber]

From the Fantasy Prospects Report (Buy It Here)


Ethan Bear, D (TY 36D) (read more on Bear here)
(LY – 32D)

One of the Oilers’ top prospects, Bear is a gifted puck-moving defender who continues to exceed expectations. Last season, his first as a pro, Bear recorded six goals and 18 points in just 37 games for Bakersfield. He also got his first taste of NHL action, playing18 games (1-3-4). His NHL numbers weren’t eye-popping but his ability was obvious and he was arguably the Oilers’ most creative defenseman within the offensive zone. His defense is improving and it will take time for him to adjust to the NHL level. His solid read/react abilities and knack for making smart plays under pressure were impressive. The biggest concern with the Bear is his skating. At 5-11, Bear has to be able to keep up with forwards since he doesn’t have the pure physical strength or shutdown ability to limit scoring chances against. At the moment he doesn’t have NHL-level speed and acceleration but his skating does show some improvement. Expectations are high for Bear and rightfully so as the Oilers haven’t developed a defense prospect with his talent in a long time. He has the offensive potential to be top-four defender but could easily turn out to be a bottom-pairing PP specialist. Bear could find himself in a full-time role with the Oilers as early as this fall but Edmonton won’t be gifting him a spot. He is arguably better than Matthew Benning already and should pass him on the depth chart sooner than later. The Oilers have no consistent offensive threats from the backend so if given the chance to play in an offensive role, Bear could be a very good fantasy draft pick in a middle-round.

Upside – Justin Faulk (15-35-50+, 50 PIM)
3YP - (10-30-40, 20 PIM)
Certainty (NHL, Upside) – 75%, 25%
Expected Arrival – Will have cups of coffee with club/get a look this year, full-time in 2019-20.
DobberHockey Draft Advice – A middle-round option.

[Axeman33]

I believe Bear has good potential and could be a decent PP pairing with Klefbom this year but I think he's simply a placeholder until Bouchard gets up to speed at best.

[chuckcouples]

I think Bear will spend the majority of the season in the AHL. He will probably be the first injury replacement if a right side dman goes down with an injury (assuming Bouchard does not stick in the NHL for the season). The Oilers defense corps is pretty set for the season:

Klefbom - Larsson
Sekera - Russell
Nurse - Benning

The 7th dman will likely be Kevin Gravel although Bouchard might stick around to start the season. There really is not a place for Ethan Bear to play unless the Oilers make a trade.

I completely disagree with the prospect report saying that Bear is already better than Benning and will likely pass him on the depth chart. Benning is a better all round dman than Bear is and likely will be for the next decade.

[ridethesnow]

Great feedback guys! I can't help but feel sort of the same as chuck being that he is an undersized young dman. He is best set with the condors this season to see how he fairs for a season or at least until the oil get the injury plague. I would be dropping tony deangelo for him and im pretty sure he is getting a full look this season. If not theres always a good add on the wire.