The 2025 NHL entry draft is still a few months away, but that doesn't mean we cannot start to evaluate the talent available in this class. We're moving on to the next member of this class, and that is Evertt Silvertips forward Carter Bear. A more interesting player of the class we've covered so far, he doesn't fit the typical mantras of the New York Rangers. His profile isn't what New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury typically looks for, but he is still a sensational talent.
At 6'0, 176 lbs, Bear doesn't have the size of some of the other members of this draft class we've covered. That will go against him if some organization doesn't want to take the risk on a guy who is far shorter in stature than some of the other talents projected to go around him in the draft, and it could make him a day-one slide candidate at the draft.
The case against him being a day-one slide candidate is also comprehensive. In 56 games with the Everett Silvertips, Bear recorded 40 goals and 42 assists for 82 points. That's an incredible goal-scoring rate for the Western Hockey League scorer and the Silvertips alternate captain. A leadership trait on top of the goal-scoring numbers will make teams admire him, even if he is smaller in stature than many of the early part of this class.
This might be irrelevant if the Rangers do not have their first-round pick from the J.T. Miller trade, but this could be an intriguing summer. There is no denying Bear has goal-scoring nuance and would fill a hole for most teams. We will see where he ends up, but with talent like that, he will make it to the NHL. Someone will have a fantastic goal-scoring talent on their hands.