LAS VEGAS, NV - Everything is better with a friend.
Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear are living proof.
Bear and Jones are navigating the National Hockey League game together years after being drafted seven picks apart in the 2015 NHL Draft.
The two were combatants in the Western Hockey League, with Bear being a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds while Jones a Portland Winterhawk, and have cultivated their game as Condors in Bakersfield.
And now, finally, they have seen the fruits of their labour come to fruition with the Oilers.
"It's crazy," said Jones. "After our first game in Edmonton, we kind of looked at each other at the end of the game. I think we beat Colorado. We were just like, 'Wow. We just played a game in the NHL together.'
"He's been a friend since we got drafted seven picks apart."
There's been no shortage of applause from teammates. Even veterans, like NHL Time On Ice leader Oscar Klefbom, showed love for the two young defenders.
BLOG: Bear, Jones navigating NHL game
Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones are up with the big club together after working through the Oilers system over the past few years
