William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, as part of NHL.com's celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Heritage Month, he profiles six Indigenous players who ranked on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list released Oct. 23.
Carter Bear said he's thrilled to be ranked on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list for the 2025 NHL Draft.
The 18-year-old forward for Everett in the Western Hockey League said he's also proud to be one of six players of Indigenous heritage to make the list. His family is from Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.
"I would say that's pretty cool that a lot of people are getting noticed," Bear said. "I don't hide away from my culture, in my whole family is Indigenous. I take pride in that I'm Indigenous."
Members of the Indigenous community are proud to see that more and more players have been getting drafted by NHL teams in recent years.
Four were chosen at the 2024 NHL Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas: forward Cayden Lindstrom, Driftpile Cree Nation (Columbus Blue Jackets, first round, No. 4); goalie Chase Wutzke, Metis, Saskatchewan (Minnesota Wild, fifth round, No. 142); forward Dylan Wakely, Curve Lake First Nation (Edmonton Oilers, sixth round, No. 192); and forward Sam McCue, Abenaki-Odanak First Nation (Toronto Maple Leafs, seventh round, No. 216).
Forward Carey Terrance, from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory in New York, was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round (No. 59) of the 2023 NHL draft. Forward Jayson Shaugabay, a member of the White Earth Nation and a cousin of Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, was a fourth-round pick (No. 115) by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the same draft.
"It represents change," said Ted Nolan, who is Ojibwe and played 78 games as a forward with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins from 1981-86.
Nolan became coach of the Buffalo Sabres (1995-97 and 2013-15) and New York Islanders (2006-08) and won the 1997 Jack Adams Award voted as NHL coach of the year. Today he runs hockey schools for Indigenous youth across Canada with his sons, retired NHL forwards Jordan Nolan and Brandon Nolan.
"Some of these kids are finally feeling that they're seen, they're getting great opportunities," Ted Nolan said. "We're seeing some really skilled players coming up, and more power to them."
Dustin Peltier, from Wiikwemkoong Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, a scout for Moncton in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and general manager for Team Ontario at the annual National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, agrees.
"The competitive fire is there where each one wants to be better than the next," Peltier said. "They want to represent the community. They want to represent their nation, and they want to make everybody proud."
Carter Bear, LW, Everett (WHL) and Peguis First Nation
NHL Central Scouting Rating: B
Bear (6-foot, 179 pounds) is second in the WHL with 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) in 23 games and tied for third in power-play goals (seven). The 18-year-old from Winnipeg also leads the Silvertips in goals and points. He was seventh on Everett last season with 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 67 games. Bear was selected to play in the 2024 USA CHL Prospects Challenge, a two-game series between some of the top prospects for the 2025 draft from the Canadian Hockey League and USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 Team at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ontario, on Nov. 26 and at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa on Nov. 27.
Jack Nesbitt, C, Windsor (OHL) and Wiikwemkoong Territory
NHL Central Scouting Rating: B
Nesbitt (6-foot-four, 185 pounds) is second on Windsor with 11 goals. The 17-year-old from Sarnia, Ontario, is sixth with 16 points in 21 games. He had two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games for gold medal-winning Canada White at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
Hayden Paupanekis, C, Spokane (WHL) and Norway House Cree Nation
NHL Central Scouting Rating: B
The 17-year-old from Winnipeg has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 22 games. Paupanekis (6-4, 196 pounds) had three assists for Team Manitoba at the 2022-23 Canadian Winter Games and 12 points (eight goals, four assists) for Team Manitoba at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
Jett Lajoie, RW, Prince George (WHL) and Muskeg Lake Cree Nation
NHL Central Scouting Rating: C
Lajoie (5-11.5) has 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 23 games. The 17-year-old from Winnipeg had 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 60 regular-season games in 2023-24 and three points (one goal, two assists) in 15 postseason games. He had two points (one goal, one assist) in five games for Team Manitoba in the 2022-23 Canadian Winter Games and eight points (two goals, six assists) for Team Manitoba in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
