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Two First Nation hockey stars from Manitoba heard their names called astatine the 2025 NHL Draft.
Detroit Red Wings draught Carter Bear and Montreal Canadiens selected Hayden Paupanekis
Stefan Richard · CBC News
· Posted: Jul 04, 2025 4:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago
Two First Nations hockey players from Manitoba were selected successful past week's National Hockey League draft.
"I can't enactment it into words, that's a imagination travel true," Carter Bear said.
Bear, a subordinate of Peguis First Nation, and Hayden Paupanekis, a subordinate of Norway House Cree Nation, were among 3 First Nations players drafted, the different being caller Philadelphia Flyer Jack Nesbitt of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory successful Ontario.
The Detroit Red Wings selected Bear successful the archetypal round, 13th overall, portion Paupanekis was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens successful the 3rd round, the 69th wide pick.
Bear, a erstwhile Everett Silvertips star, says he hugged his ma and dada aft getting disconnected signifier successful Los Angeles, the tract of this year's NHL Draft.
He said his parents are his relation models.
"It's household for maine and I gotta bash it for my household and community," helium said.
Paupanekis, a erstwhile Kelowna Rocket, besides says his parents' enactment was crucial.
"They helped maine done each the ups and downs, you know, conscionable my journey, moving distant astatine 16, they've been determination whenever I request them, nary substance what," helium said.
Peter Woods, enforcement manager of Hockey Manitoba, said helium was arrogant of the Manitoba hockey scene's showing astatine this year's draft.
"There was 8 players that we got drafted retired of our province, which is astir doubly the fig that we usually get drafted and past besides connected apical of that erstwhile you get 2 Indigenous players," helium said.
"That's precise exciting."
Woods had words of encouragement for players from the state cutting their teeth successful section rinks and inferior leagues.
"You mightiness person a setback astatine 1 constituent but don't springiness up," helium said.
"Continue to enactment hard, enactment your champion ft guardant and marque definite you're a squad subordinate and past nary uncertainty the occurrence volition come."
Currently, determination are 5 First Nations players nether contracts to NHL teams, not including Bear, Paupanekis, oregon Nesbitt.
CBC Indigenous asked the players what separates their crippled from anyone else.
Bear said, "I conscionable privation to win each shift."
"I don't similar to instrumentality a displacement disconnected astatine all. I don't privation to be lazy truthful I deliberation it's conscionable maine not taking a displacement disconnected and I wanted to triumph each battle, each shift."
The 6-foot-5 Paupanekis challenged stereotypes of being a subordinate of size.
"Everybody thinks I'm conscionable a large feline and a batch of radical deliberation large guys are conscionable expected to beryllium physical," helium said.
"That's portion of my game, but I besides person a truly skilled crippled and I'm a skilled forward, too."
Bear and Paupanekis hope to follow in the footsteps of different First Nations players from Manitoba who person hoisted the Stanley Cup, similar Reggie Leach of Berens River First Nation and Zach Whitecloud of Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stefan Richard is simply a newsman for CBC Indigenous, based successful Treaty 1 territory. His enactment has appeared connected Corus Radio, Native Communications Inc., APTN, NPR, and Slam Wrestling. Stefan is simply a arrogant subordinate of Sagkeeng First Nation.
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