West St. Paul’s Carter Bear began his professional hockey journey Friday night when he was chosen by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 National Hockey League entry draft.
A six-foot-tall forward who played left wing for the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League, Bear was selected with the 13th overall pick, making him the first Manitoban to be drafted.
Bear led the Silvertips with 40 goals and 42 assists last year, despite playing only 56 games when his season was cut short by an Achilles injury.
Bear was born in Winnipeg, but his parents are from Peguis First Nation. Shortly after he was chosen, the Southern Chiefs Organization sent its congratulations via social media, describing it as “a historic and proud moment for Carter, his family, and his Nation.”
The Winnipeg Jets held the 28th overall pick in the draft, where they took Swedish defenceman Sascha Boumedienne, who played much of his junior hockey in the United States, including last season with the Boston University Terriers.
The six-foot-two Boumedienne scored three goals and added 10 assists in 40 games last year with the Terriers, advancing all the way to NCAA Frozen Four, where they were beaten 6-2 by Western Michigan in the championship game.
The draft’s first piece of Manitoba content came earlier in the first round, when lanky centre Roger McQueen was taken 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
The six-foot-five McQueen was a bit of a question mark going into the draft, after missing parts of the past two seasons with a back injuries. But when he did play, the Saskatoon-born forward showed a deft scoring touch, racking up 31 goals and 40 assists over 70 games in the two seasons combined.
