FEATURE: Bear and Jones navigating pro life under one roof

BAKERSFIELD, CA - One was a Thunderbird, the other a Winterhawk.
One shoots left, the other right.
One games Call of Duty, the other NBA 2K.
Both are Condors.
Both are defencemen.
And both are navigating the professional level under the same roof.

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Rearguards Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones finished their Western Hockey League careers in the 2016-17 season with entry-level contracts inked. After attending Oilers Development Camp, the 2017 Young Stars Classic and Oilers Training Camp, the plan for the blueliners was to move on to the Bakersfield Condors and become core pieces of the club's defence.
Now, the training wheels are off. The two have officially made the jump, becoming rookie roommates. Both defencemen have spent the campaign adjusting to the speed and strength of professional level opposition. To the intricacies involved with playing their position more acutely and to the physicality of the American Hockey League.
And of course, to life on their own away from the rink.
"To start, it was definitely different not having someone cooking your dinners and always having food around," said Jones, sitting on a stool next to his friend and housemate Bear. "Some nights, we might forget to buy food so we'll have to go get Chipotle really quick for dinner. But we've gotten better at it. We're cooking for ourselves now and it's fun."
In any living space, house rules are often set but Bear and Jones haven't necessarily needed to establish any. Judging by their smirks when they debate who makes a bigger mess or who is the better cook, it's clear they enjoy the current arrangement.
"We like to keep a tidy house," said Bear. "We basically cook the same food every night and make sure we eat the same thing. We kind of keep it pretty separated at home but at the same time, we do stuff together. It's a good mix."

Rather than having a billet family provide support, Bear and Jones are - for the most part - on their own. That doesn't mean they aren't being steered in the right direction. The Condors training staff are providing nutrition plans and workouts designed to optimize their performance. The coaches are guiding their on-ice wherewithal and the veterans are backing the blueliners with everything else.
"We have a really good group here," said Jones. "All the vets have been helping us out and giving us little pointers. Ryan Hamilton's our captain and he's been one guy helping us become pros off the ice."
While it may be difficult getting acquainted with adulthood at first, the blueliners have done their best to not let it affect their game. Both see plenty of ice time on every given night, as well as fellow rookie defender Ryan Mantha.
Bear, up to 10 points in 21 games, is a key piece of the Condors' top power-play unit. He anchors the point, is a shot option and activates the group's zone entry. The 20-year-old also plays heavy minutes in 3-on-3 overtime. Against the Texas Stars last Wednesday, Bear drew two Stars players to him in the offensive zone, then sifted the puck to Iiro Pakarinen in the high slot. Pakarinen scored to push Bako past Texas 2-1.

"Before his injury, he was probably our most consistent performer night in and night out," said Condors Head Coach Gerry Fleming, noting Bear's previous head injury. "I don't want to compare him to (San Jose Sharks defenceman Brent) Burns yet but he has that ability to always seem to get that puck through that first wave of defenders and get it down low to the net. He has a knack for that."
Jones has 13 points in 37 games, sees plenty of 5-on-5 time and is prone to driving the play up ice. Versus the Rockford IceHogs on Friday, Jones turned up all alone, pushing past two defencemen in his way. He threw his frame at the net to cause a dangerous chance. On Monday against the San Jose Barracuda, the fourth-rounder registered his first multi-point game of his professional career with two assists.
"It comes back with Caleb to just keeping the game simple and not trying to do too much," said Fleming. "Not trying to be a superstar or make the flashy play every night. Moving the puck and picking and choosing your opportunities to maybe join the rush."
They moved to the AHL together and moved in together.
So far, the defencemen are living pretty.