The Ethan Bear era in Edmonton is over. The young right handed defenseman from Ochapowace was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Warren Foegele. Bear was drafted in the fifth round 124th overall by the Oilers in 2015 and made his NHL debut during the 2017-2018 season.
The Oilers qualified for the postseason in each of the last two seasons but failed to win a series. After each elimination Bear was the victim of racial based attacks from so called “Oilers fans” on social media because they felt he was one of the contributing factors for the Oilers failures.
Bear is proud to be from Ochapowace and strives to be the best role model he can be for people of color. He does so much for hockey in South East Saskatchewan including hosting a hockey school in Ochapowace. The trade to Carolina is a fresh start and gives Bear a chance to focus on hockey away from a hockey hot bed like Edmonton.
Despite the few people who voiced their displeasure for Bear on social media Bear was loved by Oilers fans and when rumours of a potential trade came out there were several posts begging Edmonton Oilers General Manager Ken Holland not to trade Bear but to no avail.
Bear has one year remaining on a two year contract he signed last December. Last season Bear had eight points in 43 regular season games for the Oilers. He will look to improve on that, while still being a role model in Carolina this season.