Ethan Bear's impressive start to the season could land him with the NY Islanders soon

The Islanders brought defenseman Ethan Bear into the organization on July 1st last year to improve the team's defensive depth. While he wasn't a sure bet to make the roster out of training camp, he was given opportunities to showcase his skills during the preseason. Unfortunately for Bear, he suffered an injury while blocking a shot in his second preseason game on September 26th, against the Devils.

This injury kept Bear from suiting up in a game all the way until January 10th, when he made his season debut as the Bridgeport Islanders battled against the Utica Comets. But now that he has returned, Bear has been at a point-per-game pace through his first seven games of the season.

Bear's making an impact immediately

Bear has kicked off his 2025-26 campaign with a goal and six assists in those seven games, making a positive impact on the B-Isles when they needed it the most, as some of their top defensemen this season, Cole McWard, Marshall Warren, and Isaiah George, have all been coming in and out of the lineup due to NHL call-ups.

To further prove Bear's impact to the team's performance, Bridgeport is 5-1-1 in those seven games since he has been inserted into the lineup. This comes just after they dropped three straight games to start the new year.

With Alex Romanov out for the season and Ryan Pulock now injured, the Islanders have been rotating several players into the last defensive spot in the lineup. Some of the names include the previously mentioned McWard, Warren, George, and Adam Boqvist. Could Ethan Bear be the answer to the Isles' ongoing search within the system for a sixth defenseman?