He’s only 18, but he’s already playing for the Thunderbirds and on his way to fortune and fame. Ethan Bear was born on June 26, 1997 in Ochapowace, SK. He stands at 5’11.5 tall and weighs 197 pounds. Bear wears the #25 uniform and is a defenseman for the Seattle T-Birds. He shoots right and is known for his stoic, calm demeanor on the ice as he defends the team.

Bear is a strong defenseman on the ice. Since joining the T-Birds in the 2012 to 2013 regular season, he has played in a whopping 145 games, scoring 23 goals in his career. He has also made a total of 51 assists, adding up to 74 points—not bad for a young man not yet even in his twenties. He has had a total of 53 penalty minutes in his career.

Bear just seems to get stronger each season he plays. During his rookie year, he played in one game and scored no points; but by the 2013 to 2014 season, he had played in another 58 games, scoring six goals and making 13 assists for a total of 19 points. By the 2014 to 2015 season, his strongest yet, he had played in another 69 games, scoring 13 goals and completing 25 assists for a total of 38 points. This season, he’s been in 17 games so far, making four goals and 13 assists for 17 points altogether and he remains on a roll.

Bear’s playoff stats aren’t bad, either. During the 2014 playoffs, he played in nine games. In those, he scored two goals and made two assists for four points. He only played in six playoff games during 2015, but he still scored a goal and made another two assists.

Bear was chosen to play in the NHL this year. In June, it was announced that the Oilers had selected him during the draft and he couldn’t have been more excited. He told the press that it was “amazing,” extolling how great the Oilers are and how his Edmonton selection was very exciting. He says that his calm personality comes from his ability to just go with the flow, and that he is especially skilled at calming his own nerves. Even so, he also says he was so stunned when his name was called during draft picks that he nearly blacked out.

In addition to hockey, Bear enjoys playing softball. In August, he played at the Saskatchewan First Nations Summer Games.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia