Ethan Bear nominated for Bill Hunter Memorial trophy
An Indigenous hockey player hailing from southern Saskatchewan, was recently named the top defenseman in the western conference of his league.
Ethan Bear, a member of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, has played hockey for nearly 15 years. The Ochapowace First Nation member was not only drafted in 2015 by the Edmonton Oilers as a fifth round pick, but his play has earned him a chance to win the prestigious Bill Hunter memorial trophy.
“It feels really good. There’s a lot of good players, a lot of good defensemen in the west,” Bear said. “To be named the best… it feels really good. I’m proud of it, just gotta make sure we do good in [the] playoffs.”
The blue-liner earned 70 points in 67 games this year. He scored his 60th career goal, which is the most ever recorded by a Thunderbirds’ D-man in a career.