Prospect Info: 2024 7th OA : Carter Yakemchuk (RHD)

[Micklebot]

I think you're thinking of Wheeler here. Wheeler's bias is definitely towards skilled, and in particular smaller skilled, players. It's why he generally hates what the Sens do.

Pronman is a bit less predictable, I find, but in general I'd say he's more focused on projectable NHL tools, not unlike the Sens.

That's why I said earlier on, he definitely had an offensive skill bias going back, but has changed his approach a bit over the years (likely due to more exposure to pro scouts opinions)

I agree Wheeler is currently more biased towards high end skill than Pronman.

 

[bert]

I don't think Yak stays for any regular season games this year. If I had to guess he'll go back to Calgary and be traded later this year to a WHL contender.

I think next year Yak likely splits between the AHL and NHL, but I wouldn't be adverse to him going back to the WHL if he has a chance to lead a team to a Memorial Cup.

I hope he gets dealt to Medicine Hat that team is an absolute wagon. Mckenna, Lindstrom, Basha that pp could be a top 5 NHL power play in a few years.

Why dont you think he will? The 3 RD spot is about the most open position on the team with very little quality competition if Zub or Jensen get hurt he will for sure get a shot. I think he is going to get some games in the NHL though but he should absolutely not stay up all year.

 

[Micklebot]

I hope he gets dealt to Medicine Hat that team is an absolute wagon. Mckenna, Lindstrom, Basha that pp could be a top 5 NHL power play in a few years.

Why dont you think he will? The 3 RD spot is about the most open position on the team with very little quality competition if Zub or Jensen get hurt he will for sure get a shot. I think he is going to get some games in the NHL though but he should absolutely not stay up all year.

the only thing that makes me skeptical he'll get a few games is this team needs to get out the gate hot, and they can't afford to test drive guys that aren't going to be here all season. Green seems really impressed with him though so there's a chance, but maybe more like when Formenton stayed up for a while but only got the 1 game. Still lots of value for an 19 year old to put in some practices with pros,

 

[JD1]

His skating isn't close to being fully developed yet is more the point. He has lots to work on for sure but I think the way some people described it on here people expected a guy that couldn't move. His first steps and pivot has to and absolutely will get better as he gets stronger but they aren't NHL feet yet. Which I think is what makes him so exciting. Such a unique raw package of skill, size, offensive hockey IQ and talent.

to that point, what i read in the chat when he was drafted and even in the past few weeks, I didn't see a kid that is anywhere close to how some people described his skating. Sure he has work to do but he looks like he's going to be a hell of a player. I read a fair bit about his offence not translating too....not sure i get that either. He looked offensively long before the OT goal

 

[Micklebot]

to that point, what i read in the chat when he was drafted and even in the past few weeks, I didn't see a kid that is anywhere close to how some people described his skating. Sure he has work to do but he looks like he's going to be a hell of a player.

Peoples description of his skating was typical HF hyperbole, you'd think he needed to push a chair around the ice the way some guys talked about him.

He's got work to do, but I think he'll get there.

 

[bert]

to that point, what i read in the chat when he was drafted and even in the past few weeks, I didn't see a kid that is anywhere close to how some people described his skating. Sure he has work to do but he looks like he's going to be a hell of a player. I read a fair bit about his offence not translating too....not sure i get that either. He looked offensively long before the OT goal

If he is already this effective it speaks volumes to his potential. He anticipates the play really well. Once he fills out, gets stronger and faster he is going to be a beast.

 

[DackellDuck]

to that point, what i read in the chat when he was drafted and even in the past few weeks, I didn't see a kid that is anywhere close to how some people described his skating. Sure he has work to do but he looks like he's going to be a hell of a player. I read a fair bit about his offence not translating too....not sure i get that either. He looked offensively long before the OT goal

On HFBoards, if you're over 6'2 and from Canada, you're automatically considered slow and are destined to only be a grinder.

 

[JD1]

If he is already this effective it speaks volumes to his potential. He anticipates the play really well. Once he fills out, gets stronger and faster he is going to be a beast.

completely agree. He's going to fill out, get stronger. Both upper body and on his skates. He's going to be a very big man. Right shot. Howitzer. Not afraid of the moment - how many dump the puck by Austin Matthews in OT?

I just get a kick out of the hot takes. Can't skate. Offence won't translate. It's funny.

 

[Daffy]

That's why I said earlier on, he definitely had an offensive skill bias going back, but has changed his approach a bit over the years (likely due to more exposure to pro scouts opinions)

I agree Wheeler is currently more biased towards high end skill than Pronman.

Wheeler is such a whiny donkey. Can't stand him

 

[Masked]

On HFBoards, if you're over 6'2 and from Canada, you're automatically considered slow and are destined to only be a grinder.

You've learned a lot about this place in... **does the math** four days. Congrats!

 

[DrEasy]

Addison shouldn't be the reason Yak doesn't get up to 10 games in the NHL.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

You can see how much potential there is watching him. He physical engages but isn't NHL-strong yet. I get he is 200+ pounds, but he is also 6'4" - 200+ pounds at 6'4" isn't much higher than a regular athletic baseline for weight. He could easily add 20 lbs naturally so long as he isn't a Kyle Turris style ectomorph. It's encouraging that he can battle in front of the net already, but seemed to be knocked down a few times when engaging physically on the move.

It seems like the system Travis Green is using has the team and defensemen fairly aggressive in the neutral zone. Early on with other defensemen, it lead to two quick Leafs breaks where the D-pairings got caught flat footed because ultimately we were playing AHLers against top NHL players. (Not Yakemchuk). If this is in fact his system, I can see why he loves Yakemchuk. Yakemchuk seems to have excellent vision in the neutral zone to disrupt plays and create turn overs.

I've only rewatched most of the first period. I generally pick up on nothing when I watch live. While he is jumping up into the play, he doesn't seem to be getting caught.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

His skating isn't pretty, and the Leafs were slow last night and just going through the motions, so it's really hard to judge the kid on one preseason game.

But it is encouraging to see that he will carry the puck and try to make plays (and succeed) in his first game. That's what you want. a kid with some confidence who also played smart defensively and kept the game pretty simple in his own end. That shows some good hockey IQ...which is something we desperately need.

But we also don't want to throw him into the deep end of the pool. Confidence and taking things one step at a time and letting the kid develop is important. He's still a good 3 years away from full time NHL duty, so let's not rush things here.

 

[Daffy]

His skating isn't pretty, and the Leafs were slow last night and just going through the motions, so it's really hard to judge the kid on one preseason game.

But it is encouraging to see that he will carry the puck and try to make plays (and succeed) in his first game. That's what you want. a kid with some confidence who also played smart defensively and kept the game pretty simple in his own end. That shows some good hockey IQ...which is something we desperately need.

But we also don't want to throw him into the deep end of the pool. Confidence and taking things one step at a time and letting the kid develop is important. He's still a good 3 years away from full time NHL duty, so let's not rush things here.

2 years, tops.

 

[DackellDuck]

You've learned a lot about this place in... **does the math** four days. Congrats!

Actively posting with an account vs. reading the boards. But thanks for being the forum police!

 

[bicboi64]

His skating isn't pretty, and the Leafs were slow last night and just going through the motions, so it's really hard to judge the kid on one preseason game.

I love the confidence Yak showed last night, but AM34 and Marner have the most puck steals in the league in the last few years.

Unless Yak becomes a one of a kind dangling defender, odds are that move doesn't work and you have to make the safer play, but bloody hell was it fun to see.

May we get more of those with Yak either taking advantage of a situation where there's lesser competition on the ice or he actually becomes a dangling demon.

 

[JD1]

His skating isn't pretty, and the Leafs were slow last night and just going through the motions, so it's really hard to judge the kid on one preseason game.

But it is encouraging to see that he will carry the puck and try to make plays (and succeed) in his first game. That's what you want. a kid with some confidence who also played smart defensively and kept the game pretty simple in his own end. That shows some good hockey IQ...which is something we desperately need.

But we also don't want to throw him into the deep end of the pool. Confidence and taking things one step at a time and letting the kid develop is important. He's still a good 3 years away from full time NHL duty, so let's not rush things here.

a good 3 years away? I don't agree with that. I won't be surprised to see him play in the NHL full time next year. Kid turns 19 on September 29 so if he plays full time NHL next year, he's playing as a 20 year old. That's not uncommon at all for high draft picks. And having the size really helps in that regard.

 

[Micklebot]

a good 3 years away? I don't agree with that. I won't be surprised to see him play in the NHL full time next year. Kid turns 19 on September 29 so if he plays full time NHL next year, he's playing as a 20 year old. That's not uncommon at all for high draft picks. And having the size really helps in that regard.

I think he'll get at least some AHL time, it's a big jump to go from the WHL direct to NHL, but him becoming a regular at some point next season is certainly plausible.

 

[JD1]

I think he'll get at least some AHL time, it's a big jump to go from the WHL direct to NHL, but him becoming a regular at some point next season is certainly plausible.

maybe there's an AHL stint and he's up by the 2nd half. I just don't see 3 years development needed. Huge kid. Good wheels for his size. Offensive instinct. Right shot.

 

[bicboi64]

I think he'll become a regular by the time Jensen's current deal is up and he'll get 30-40 games next season if he keeps progressing in his development.

Sandy and Chabot were with the big club 2 years after being drafted so I wouldn't be surprised if Yak followed that trajectory.

 

[zenator]

I don't think Yak stays for any regular season games this year. If I had to guess he'll go back to Calgary and be traded later this year to a WHL contender.

I think next year Yak likely splits between the AHL and NHL, but I wouldn't be adverse to him going back to the WHL if he has a chance to lead a team to a Memorial Cup.

Zero chance Yak plays in the WHL as an overage next season. High draft picks never play overage. Overage is for non-prospects

AHL and or NHL next season.

 

[aragorn]

Great to see Yakemchuk score the winning goal in overtime showing off his obvious skillset & he's a right shot which they need. Hopefully he gets some NHL games before going back to junior.

 

[frightenedinmatenum2]

His skating isn't pretty, and the Leafs were slow last night and just going through the motions, so it's really hard to judge the kid on one preseason game.

I think you are absolutely right, but one thing to consider is what he was able to do and how he played relative to the crop of defensemen fighting for those #5-#6 spots.

I highly doubt he will be able to play like he did last night on game 1 of the regular season, but I do think it needs to be accounted for that he outplayed multiple pros who have many development years on him. More importantly, we're not talking about the Chabot types, where pre-season is a formality because his spot is his spot. We're talking about guys who have a reason to go out there and play at 100 percent to try to earn their spot.

I want to say he will get at least a game in the NHL, but it is going to be a complicated situation because of Hamonic's NMC. Both Guennette and JBD will require waivers. I doubt the team has a problem with waiving either of those players if they aren't good enough to make the team, but if the long-term plan is to send Yak back to the CHL for his development regardless of whether he "makes" the team, they can't risk losing depth if either Guennette or JBD have good camps because even if the chance is small, they might get claimed.

 

[DrEasy]

Feeding steak to a baby!

 

[Good in Osgoode]

I think he'll become a regular by the time Jensen's current deal is up and he'll get 30-40 games next season if he keeps progressing in his development.

Sandy and Chabot were with the big club 2 years after being drafted so I wouldn't be surprised if Yak followed that trajectory.

That's my take as well.
Jensen is a placeholder until Yak is ready to step in and take that spot.

In a perfect world, Jensen is a great fit here and Yak is ready in 2 years' time.
Then you have options to play both.