Edmonton Oilers re-sign defenceman Ethan Bear to a two-year contract extension

What a difference a year makes for young Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear.

Last year, Bear, who is from Ochapowace Nation in Saskatchewan, entered NHL training camp as a rookie fighting to make the team. Bear, who is only 23 years-old, definitely opened eyes among management and Oilers fans when this puck moving blueliner scored five goals and 21 points in 71 games played. His strong play didn’t go unnoticed as he not only finished 10th for Calder Trophy’s Rookie of the Year voting, but was also most recently given a lucrative two-year contract extension. 

This extension, which was finalized on December 28, 2020, will see the strapping 5-foot 11, 197-pound blueliner paid $1.5 million for the first year and $2.5 million for the second. Along with finishing third among Oilers defenceman in points, he was also third in average ice time per game as he logged 21:58 minutes per game.

“When Bearsey got the deal done on Monday night, I told him, ‘Come to camp with that same smile, that same attitude that says you’re enjoying being here,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “Put all the busines stuff behind you and get back to where you were last year in camp “

Tippett went on to add, “That’s when (last year in training camp) he made our team. He came here full of life, he played, he played with energy, and he played himself on to the team.”

Continuing to sing Bear’s praises, Tippett added, “He’s smart, has good skill and he competes. Those are three pretty good attributes.”

Selected fifth round in the 2015 NHL draft, Bear has played a total of 89 NHL games where he has scored six goals, 25 points along with 33 penalty minutes. During the season and into playoffs, Bear has been playing with Oilers 2013 first round pick Darnell Nurse who like Tippett had a lot of good things to say about the puck moving defenceman. These two also were partnered for last year’s best of five qualifying playoff round series which saw the Oilers lose in four games against the Chicago Blackhawks. The NHL have a handful of impressive elite young defenceman in the likes of Bandon Montour (Buffalo Sabres), Zach Whitecloud (Vegas Golden Knights), Travis Hamonic (Unrestricted Free Agent), Brady Keeper (Florida Panthers) and of course Bear, Oilers fans have a lot to be excited about with the signing of Bear, who has become a popular figure among fans.

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