Red Wings’ Carter Bear to miss time with upper-body injury
A notable prospect in Hockeytown is going to be absent for a little bit.
According to head coach Todd McLellan, Detroit Red Wings forward Carter Bear is going to be out for a week to 10 days with an apparent upper-body injury.
McLellan didn’t lead on any more information regarding what Bear hurt or when he was injured. The 19-year-old appeared in the team’s first preseason game this past Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He didn’t score a point, but registered 15:17 of ice time across 19 shifts, and was an even plus/minus in a 1-0 shootout loss. He wasn’t in the lineup for the Red Wings’ 7-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Given the timeline of his injury, Bear won’t have any more chances to impress the Red Wings’ brass. It’s not yet known if he’ll be able to return to play by the time Detroit’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, open their 2026-27 season on Oct. 2 against the Cleveland Monsters.
Bear has been gearing up for his first season of professional hockey. The Winnipeg native was taken by the Red Wings with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He followed that up by being a key piece in the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips winning the franchise’s first Ed Chynoweth Cup last season. In 53 regular-season games, he scored 36 goals and 77 points, a little off his career-best 2024-25 campaign, which saw Bear notch 40 goals and 82 points. In the playoffs, he scored 22 points in 18 games, adding another five points at the Memorial Cup as the Silvertips reached the championship game, ultimately losing to the Kitchener Rangers.
In 195 regular-season games in the WHL, Bear posted 102 goals and 218 points, with another 26 points in 32 postseason contests.
In the middle of the 2025-26 campaign, Bear represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship, but played in just two games as his team won the bronze medal.
The Red Wings have two more preseason games, taking on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday before hosting the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Detroit opens its regular season on Oct. 2 at home against the New York Rangers.
