Photo: NHL

Former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Ethan Bear was spotted at West Kelowna's Jim Lind arena on Saturday, taking to the ice for a solo practice as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery.

Skating on his own, Bear could be seen wearing his old Canucks gear. The Regina born hockey player spent the 2022-23 season with the Canucks after he was acquired via trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Hoping to sign an NHL contract this past offseason, Bear was not given a contract offer by the Canucks, even though the 26-year-old blue liner put up three goals and 16 points through 68 games last year.

Bear was expected to miss approximately six months after he went under the knife this past summer to repair his shoulder, which should mean a return to professional hockey sometime in December as long as he can find himself a contract.

The Canucks currently have a number of injuries to their blue line, and after a hot start to their season they may be shopping around for more defence.

Either way, he's a proven third line defenceman who will be looking for work in the weeks to come.

Do Patrik Allvin and the Canucks take a chance on the Canadian? Time will tell.