Bear is a puck-moving defenseman who plays a top pairing role with Seattle. He is a very mobile player, skating powerfully and exhibiting good speed and a knack for rushing the puck. Good edge work and quick in transition allows him to have a good jump on the play. He has good vision and the ability to create offense. Has some real zip on his passes, making clean feeds without much hesitation. He is a con dent and coherent puck handler, nothing overly creative or ashy. Makes good reads on plays, knowing when he can start a rush or when he should just dish it off to teammate. Bear is very aware of the space around him and is good at protecting the biscuit from his opponents. Has a good eye for the net and has a good wrist shot that can sizzle through a maze of legs and sticks to create havoc for a goaltender. He is good defensively and shows good communication and awareness. Has the footwork and ability to recover from his mistakes. He can use his size assertively and has the meat on his bones to do so. We like the cohesion he shows with his teammates and ability to work in unison with his partner. He does a lot of things well, but just isn’t phenomenal at any one aspect; kind of a glue guy. He is just a heart and soul hockey player who battles and thinks the game well. (May 2015)