2023-24 Senators Prospect Watch

Wasn’t his conditioning an issue at the combine?

Hopefully that’s something that gets corrected over time.
He has significantly improved his skating this season. It has taken a major leap. But in fairness, he has played 3 games in 4 nights and did a lot the heavy lifting in those games. I knew from the start his skating looked off.

But - he is not a finished product and my contention is, once he fills out and gets stronger, I think those issues will be resolved. If not, we will have a problem.
 
He was pretty bad. He had a herculean effort in the last game. Did you watch it? It was a totally different player. His balance issues and awkwardness come out when he is tired or has played a heavy schedule. It was his worst game in the playoffs.
Last game I saw the third and OT. But I missed the first two games of the series
 
Last game I saw the third and OT. But I missed the first two games of the series
If I watched the game yesterday in relative isolation, from a prospect evaluation perspective, I would have totally lost my mind. I agree with basically everything you said.

If you have time, go and watch the entire game 4 - it will probably make you fee a little differently. Maybe not? Or go look at the comments after the game, Not by me - but others.

That game was uncharacteristic on many levels - both teams were tired, the game was wide open and the goalies were unusually bad.

It is 4 games in 5 days tonight. It probably will not be pretty.
 
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He has zero capability of getting back into plays once he’s up ice.

For a guy who relies on being deep in the offensive zone as much as Yak does, coupled with so many questionable pinches/plays in deep, it’s going to continue to be a very big issue moving forward, even more so against men
 
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A week of nothing hockey in the preseason means very little compared to 3 seasons worth of hockey, we’ve seen enough guys in preseason go balls out that we should know to take anything there with a grain of salt.
It means something that he was the best player on the ice. More than once. And never had any issues.
 
It means something that he was the best player on the ice. More than once. And never had any issues.
As was Samuel Honzek, he was the best player for Calgary by a sizeable margin with 6 points. That isn’t going to magically erase all the problems he has/will have in the NHL, or the problems he faced in the AHL.

It’s not like it’s blasphemy to say a guy who gets caught up ice so much in the WHL is going to have issues in the NHL, regardless of the 3 game preseason sample
 
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He has zero capability of getting back into plays once he’s up ice.

For a guy who relies on being deep in the offensive zone as much as Yak does, coupled with so many questionable pinches/plays in deep, it’s going to continue to be a very big issue moving forward, even more so against men
When he gets the puck at the blue line he heads straight for the incoming opponent. Sometimes there is no reason to get caught. Just get the puck to your player in the corner.

Now stuff like that I think will get fixed. That’s a decision issue and in the NHL he will start doing it if it means playing or not playing. But f*** it’s frustrating. Just get the puck behind the net man
 
As was Samuel Honzek, he was the best player for Calgary by a sizeable margin with 6 points. That isn’t going to magically erase all the problems he has/will have in the NHL, or the problems he faced in the AHL.

It’s not like it’s blasphemy to say a guy who gets caught up ice so much in the WHL is going to have issues in the NHL, regardless of the 3 game preseason sample
Tired of reading about it that’s all. Go ahead if it floats your boat.
 
He has zero capability of getting back into plays once he’s up ice.

For a guy who relies on being deep in the offensive zone as much as Yak does, coupled with so many questionable pinches/plays in deep, it’s going to continue to be a very big issue moving forward, even more so against men

He certainly will never have recovery speed like guys like Chabot or Sanderson. No argument there. Personally, I don't see the "so many questionable pinches/plays in deep" that you do. Occasionally, sure, but I've found his decisions on when to jump in and when to stay back to be pretty well calculated throughout the playoffs. It's definitely something he's improved on since last year, which is what you want to see from of a developing prospect.

I would characterize myself as a Yakemchuk skeptic who's starting to appreciate him more, and that has only come through watching him consistently - approaching ten games straight - rather than sporadically. Because there are things about him that have always turned me off. I see the rough skating, the questionable athleticism, the upright posture that reads as lazy. And when I'd tune in for a one-off period in January, that's all I could see. Watching him every night, though, those things have started to bother me less. I'm still conscious of them, and take them into account when projecting him as a player, but I can also see beyond them to the positives in his game.

Put another way, instead of being annoyed by him not being who I want him to be (e.g. a big, smooth, creative offensive star), I'm starting to appreciate him for who he is and what he could become. I don't see him becoming a star offensive defenceman, but I can see the makings of a good (or maybe even great, depending on how well he defends) top 4, 30-40 point two-way RHD.
 
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He certainly will never have recovery speed like guys like Chabot or Sanderson. No argument there. Personally, I don't see the "so many questionable pinches/plays in deep" that you do. Occasionally, sure, but I've found his decisions on when to jump in and when to stay back to be pretty well calculated throughout the playoffs. It's definitely something he's improved on since last year, which is what you want to see from of a developing prospect.

I would characterize myself as a Yakemchuk skeptic who's starting to appreciate him more, and that has only come through watching him consistently - approaching ten games straight - rather than sporadically. Because there are things about him that have always turned me off. I see the rough skating, the questionable athleticism, the upright posture that reads as lazy. And when I'd tune in for a one-off period in January, that's all I could see. Watching him every night, though, those things have started to bother me less. I'm still conscious of them, and take them into account when projecting him as a player, but I can also see beyond them to the positives in his game.

Put another way, instead of being annoyed by him not being who I want him to be (e.g. a big, smooth, creative offensive star), I'm starting to appreciate him for who he is and what he could become. I don't see him becoming a star offensive defenceman, but I can see the makings of a good (or maybe even great) top 4, 35-40 point two-way RHD.
Likewise I went from watching 1ish games a week throughout the season to every playoff game this far. That’s essentially what I’ve been projecting him as, a solid #3/4 who puts up 35ish points a year.

His skating and athleticism combo is terrifying for me, and I really, really don’t like his decision making when things happen quickly. Twice the past 2 games he’s made the decision to leave his lane on a 2 on 1/2 and went directly into his partners lane, both resulting in goals, and I’ve seen that many times throughout the season, I highlighted that same issue specifically in one post a while ago after a game in the regular season with a highlight.

He has tools that no other guy has, the size, physical play, puck skills and shot combination is tantalizing. But I put a ton of value on skating and IQ, and I really don’t see positives in either for the NHL game (not that it matters I’m a schmuck on the internet)

I also have never thought of him, or hoped for, a smooth skating offensive star, I don't think that's realistic, so that also likely taints my view. That, coupled with my personal view on his skating/defense/decision making likely leads to a more negative outlook (not that he will be a bust, he won't) compared to others who disagree with my personal assesments and projections, which is perfectly fine and valid.
 
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He certainly will never have recovery speed like guys like Chabot or Sanderson. No argument there. Personally, I don't see the "so many questionable pinches/plays in deep" that you do. Occasionally, sure, but I've found his decisions on when to jump in and when to stay back to be pretty well calculated throughout the playoffs. It's definitely something he's improved on since last year, which is what you want to see from of a developing prospect.

I would characterize myself as a Yakemchuk skeptic who's starting to appreciate him more, and that has only come through watching him consistently - approaching ten games straight - rather than sporadically. Because there are things about him that have always turned me off. I see the rough skating, the questionable athleticism, the upright posture that reads as lazy. And when I'd tune in for a one-off period in January, that's all I could see. Watching him every night, though, those things have started to bother me less. I'm still conscious of them, and take them into account when projecting him as a player, but I can also see beyond them to the positives in his game.

Put another way, instead of being annoyed by him not being who I want him to be (e.g. a big, smooth, creative offensive star), I'm starting to appreciate him for who he is and what he could become. I don't see him becoming a star offensive defenceman, but I can see the makings of a good (or maybe even great, depending on how well he defends) top 4, 30-40 point two-way RHD.
Yeah, it's definitely going to be tough for Yak to meet expectations in Ottawa for a number of reasons:

1) He was drafted #7 in a draft that featured a number of D-men with great potential
(Dickinson, Silayev, Parekh, Buuim) that were all drafted after Yak.

2) He had an amazing pre-season training camp with the Sens that even featured a high-light reel goal.
This should be a positive but I feel like this raised the expectations on this player to be NHL ready now.

3) Our prospect depth is at it's lowest that it has been in a number of years.
This puts even higher expectations on Yak.

I really like what you said about Yak not being what you want him to be and appreciating him for who he is and what he could become. I think we all need to realize that he may well not be the same player as these other guys drafted after him but if he can become a solid top-4 two-way RHD, then that is a great thing for this team going forward.

I still think that a season in Belleville is going to best for his development.
Let him cook down there in 25-26 and maybe give him a taste of the NHL at some point next season, if Green & Staois think that there is a good time to do so.

It seems that he will need some time to adapt and transition to the NHL.
Give him a chance to succeed.
 
He certainly will never have recovery speed like guys like Chabot or Sanderson. No argument there. Personally, I don't see the "so many questionable pinches/plays in deep" that you do. Occasionally, sure, but I've found his decisions on when to jump in and when to stay back to be pretty well calculated throughout the playoffs. It's definitely something he's improved on since last year, which is what you want to see from of a developing prospect.

I would characterize myself as a Yakemchuk skeptic who's starting to appreciate him more, and that has only come through watching him consistently - approaching ten games straight - rather than sporadically. Because there are things about him that have always turned me off. I see the rough skating, the questionable athleticism, the upright posture that reads as lazy. And when I'd tune in for a one-off period in January, that's all I could see. Watching him every night, though, those things have started to bother me less. I'm still conscious of them, and take them into account when projecting him as a player, but I can also see beyond them to the positives in his game.

Put another way, instead of being annoyed by him not being who I want him to be (e.g. a big, smooth, creative offensive star), I'm starting to appreciate him for who he is and what he could become. I don't see him becoming a star offensive defenceman, but I can see the makings of a good (or maybe even great, depending on how well he defends) top 4, 30-40 point two-way RHD.
I dono.

To be a true two way top 4 guy in the NHL you need to be very. Very good defensively and very smart.

Two biggest knocks on yak are his defense and his IQ. And it’s looking like the offense he had last year won’t translate.

He’s big. With a big shot.

Being older than most and highly skilled with the puck has not really made him elite defensively even in the WHL or able to handle forechecking in a super high level way


I think his size is the only thing making people think he will be good defensively. And I think our scouts feel the same

They took the RHD with size with low athleticism thinking they could just develop all the things he poor at and once he’s more athletic it will be all good
 
I dono.

To be a true two way top 4 guy in the NHL you need to be very. Very good defensively and very smart.

Two biggest knocks on yak are his defense and his IQ. And it’s looking like the offense he had last year won’t translate.

He’s big. With a big shot.

Being older than most and highly skilled with the puck has not really made him elite defensively even in the OHL or able to handle forechecking.


I think his size is the only thing making people think he will be good defensively. And I think our scouts feel the same
What makes you think the scouts feel the same way when they were the ones who drafted him?
 
Yeah, it's definitely going to be tough for Yak to meet expectations in Ottawa for a number of reasons:

1) He was drafted #7 in a draft that featured a number of D-men with great potential
(Dickinson, Silayev, Parekh, Buuim) that were all drafted after Yak.

2) He had an amazing pre-season training camp with the Sens that even featured a high-light reel goal.
This should be a positive but I feel like this raised the expectations on this player to be NHL ready now.

3) Our prospect depth is at it's lowest that it has been in a number of years.
This puts even higher expectations on Yak.

I really like what you said about Yak not being what you want him to be and appreciating him for who he is and what he could become. I think we all need to realize that he may well not be the same player as these other guys drafted after him but if he can become a solid top-4 two-way RHD, then that is a great thing for this team going forward.

I still think that a season in Belleville is going to best for his development.
Let him cook down there in 25-26 and maybe give him a taste of the NHL at some point next season, if Green & Staois think that there is a good time to do so.

It seems that he will need some time to adapt and transition to the NHL.
Give him a chance to succeed.
Well I will gov when a chance. Because I have to.

If he isn’t what the players after him are then the scouts should be fired. They’ve put together possibly the worst 4 year stretch of drafting in NHL history

Our crown jewel in 4 years is Zack Ostapchuk.

These scouts take players that almost immediately start struggling in their junior leagues. 3 years of complete complete waste. And I’m not optimistic about the 24 draft either
 
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No im saying they feel the same way about how good he can be defensively because of his size

The scouts loved him obviously.
You said:
I think his size is the only thing making people think he will be good defensively. And I think our scouts feel the same
And I think the poster is pointing out that you are probably wrong/making a sweeping assumption about that.
 
You said:

And I think the poster is pointing out that you are probably wrong/making a sweeping assumption about that.
Just didn’t word it right.

Scouts saw his size. Think it will be a big factor in him being good defensively.

They could be right. But they may have been tricked into that assumption.


It’s happened - bunch of times in the last 3 years. So there is precedent in thinking a guy will be a good d man simply for his size.

And the crazy part is that Yakemchuk might be the worst skater of all the big d men they loved lol
 
Just didn’t word it right.

Scouts saw his size. Think it will be a big factor in him being good defensively.

They could be right. But they may have been tricked into that assumption.


It’s happened - bunch of times in the last 3 years. So there is precedent in thinking a guy will be a good d man simply for his size.

And the crazy part is that Yakemchuk might be the worst skater of all the big d men they loved lol
Size is a common denominator, I just don't think that is all that they see with Yakemchuk.

There are major disagreements across fans and experts on his skating, his IQ, his offensive upside, and even his coachability. His size is obviously a huge advantage at lower levels, but those factors (and others) will determine if he can make it an advantage at the NHL level.

You are clearly extremely low on him; our scouts are clearly extremely high on him. Most likely he will end up somewhere in the middle. Likewise, the top D of this draft will likely all be overrated and underrated a hundred times before we see what they really are.
 

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