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

[bert]

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 dont think he is a physically mature 18 year old though, he's growing into his body still from what I have seen. I think he may finish the year next season but a full year in the AHL wont be bad for him either. He needs to get quicker and stronger, we want this player to maximize his potential no reason to rush him. He has alot to learn from what I have seen. Small things that should be natural, like running interference for his partner or not puck watching as much in the d zone. Stuff that is all teachable and coachable which is why I really believe they should take their time with him. I think he's a project with undeniable upside. How good he gets will be on the organization and how much work he puts in.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838204037574848724

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

It's promising. But one decent preseason game and a highlight real goal doesn't mean all that much.

Consistency is what makes a decent player into a great one. Kid has a lot to prove.

It's exciting for sure tho

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838305852362486251

 

[Senscore]

It's promising. But one decent preseason game and a highlight real goal doesn't mean all that much.

Consistency is what makes a decent player into a great one. Kid has a lot to prove.

It's exciting for sure tho

It's true but he needed a little positive attention. Since the surprisingly high draft spot and the poor rookie tournament outing by the organization (which wasn't his fault), he's had more than his fair share of the twitter peanut gallery dumping on him.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

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.

We're not a bottom 5 team anymore. And we shouldn't be rushing prospects.

There's nothing wrong with giving him a good year and a half (or more) in the AHL before full time duty in the NHL. In the long run, it's the best thing for him.

 

[HSF]

We're not a bottom 5 team anymore. And we shouldn't be rushing prospects.

There's nothing wrong with giving him a good year and a half (or more) in the AHL before full time duty in the NHL. In the long run, it's the best thing for him.

Sens are gonna need cheap ELC to fill in. Doubt he doesn't make it for 3 years.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

It's promising. But one decent preseason game and a highlight real goal doesn't mean all that much.

Consistency is what makes a decent player into a great one. Kid has a lot to prove.

It's exciting for sure tho

the thing is even without the consistency he has the talent to be a game breaker. his tools are incredible.

At worst we're getting a big physical bottom pair rd with dangles and a cannon.

Who knows what at best?

//

Also does anyone else think his skating is better than Brady's at the same age?

 

[Silky Johnson]

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.

If he continues to have a great camp, I think the best thing is to give him a couple NHL games and send him back - hopefully to a contender like you said.

Having him understand how fast and physical an NHL season game is will show him where he needs to be. Then he goes and dominates in junior.

I generally support the CHL but he one of the few where I wish we could send him the AHL. I think he would benefit from playing against bigger faster competition and a development staff that is focused on him in particular. With the work JM did with Chara's defensive game, I would love to see some regular chats with him.

 

[JD1]

We're not a bottom 5 team anymore. And we shouldn't be rushing prospects.

There's nothing wrong with giving him a good year and a half (or more) in the AHL before full time duty in the NHL. In the long run, it's the best thing for him.

3 plus years development is certainly not rushing him. People play in the NHL when they are ready. There were guys here, and I think you were one of them, saying Stuetzle needed maturing time in the minors to develop. After watching him in world Junior I said he'd never play a game in the minors

I don't see 3 years with this kid. And there's lots wrong with holding him back if he's ready to go

 

[Micklebot]

We're not a bottom 5 team anymore. And we shouldn't be rushing prospects.

There's nothing wrong with giving him a good year and a half (or more) in the AHL before full time duty in the NHL. In the long run, it's the best thing for him.

The best thing for him is to monitor where he's at and have him progress based on merit, not artificial timelines

He's an older prospect relative to his draft class, you look at a guy like Luke Hughes, who is on the opposite side of the age spectrum and he was full time by his 20th birthday, Yakemchuk will be 20 to start next season. Similarly, Sieder was full time in Detroit as a 20 yr old. Byram joined a contender in Colorado and played one yr of junior after being drafted before cracking the NHL club though injuries limited his games played

There's no hard and fast rule for what's best for a player. His play will dictate what's best for him.

 

[Tuna99]

Exactly. Pronman is about as spicy as a vanilla milkshake

Acting surprised you were wrong about an completely idiotic take is how these guys keep up the illusion they know what they are talking about

 

[Senscore]

Acting surprised you were wrong about an completely idiotic take is how these guys keep up the illusion they know what they are talking about

How far is one allowed to deviate from central scouting in their opinion on prospects?

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

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.

Pronman has changed his philosophy over the years. I agree with Mickel’s assessment, Pronman used to have a strong bias that he has since identified and tried to correct for. Which is a good quality for a scout to have, and is something Wheeler cant or wont do.

 

[bert]

Acting surprised you were wrong about an completely idiotic take is how these guys keep up the illusion they know what they are talking about

What I don't understand is why anyone that actually watched the player. Saw the stat line, looked at his position and physical appearance then didn't like the prospect or thought he wouldnt be a top 10 pick. Didn't make any sense. Was such a strange phenomenon to me. I told everyone pre draft he was going top 10. Was told I was wrong by many posters on this board. Then voila, here we are. His physical package is so unique to have his level of skill. Not many 6'3 18 year Olds are physically mature. It takes time, he is gonna get there though. When he does oh man.

 

[Big Muddy]

If we look at other high 1st round picks that we drafted like Stutzle, Brady and Sanderson, it didn’t take them 3 years to develop and transition to the NHL.

 

[StoicSensFan]

If we look at other high 1st round picks that we drafted like Stutzle, Brady and Sanderson, it didn’t take them 3 years to develop and transition to the NHL.

In no way do I think these players are on the same level, but just a reminder that overcooking might be the better option.

 

[bert]

If we look at other high 1st round picks that we drafted like Stutzle, Brady and Sanderson, it didn’t take them 3 years to develop and transition to the NHL.

Sanderson didn't play until year 3. But I don't think the standard should be other players. Each player/person has a different skillset, physical and mental make up etc. Yakemchuks physical make up is of a long development curve. He grew late and is still growing into his body. D men also take longer to develop in general.

 

[Micklebot]

What I don't understand is why anyone that actually watched the player. Saw the stat line, looked at his position and physical appearance then didn't like the prospect or thought he wouldnt be a top 10 pick. Didn't make any sense. Was such a strange phenomenon to me. I told everyone pre draft he was going top 10. Was told I was wrong by many posters on this board. Then voila, here we are. His physical package is so unique to have his level of skill. Not many 6'3 18 year Olds are physically mature. It takes time, he is gonna get there though. When he does oh man.

I think it just speaks to the depth of the draft, lots of good options in the 5-15 range, there are at least 4 guys that went after him I'd have been perfectly fine with, and I say that as someone who is fine with Yak at 7.

I don't think anyone should have been surprised he went top ten for the reasons you mentioned, but I can understand people having 10 other guys they expected to go ahead of him.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Sanderson didn't play until year 3. But I don't think the standard should be other players. Each player/person has a different skillset, physical and mental make up etc. Yakemchuks physical make up is of a long development curve. He grew late and is still growing into his body. D men also take longer to develop in general.

The team wanted Sanderson after year 2, but he insisted on going back due to “unfinished business” with that awesome NODAK team.

I agree that we won’t see that with this kid wanting to go back to junior for his overaged season.

 

[Masked]

What I don't understand is why anyone that actually watched the player. Saw the stat line, looked at his position and physical appearance then didn't like the prospect or thought he wouldnt be a top 10 pick. Didn't make any sense. Was such a strange phenomenon to me.

People dumping on a 6'3" RHD putting up around a point per game? I'd call it the Ceci Effect.

 

[bert]

I think it just speaks to the depth of the draft, lots of good options in the 5-15 range, there are at least 4 guys that went after him I'd have been perfectly fine with, and I say that as someone who is fine with Yak at 7.

I don't think anyone should have been surprised he went top ten for the reasons you mentioned, but I can understand people having 10 other guys they expected to go ahead of him.

I just dont think anyone is considering an undersized skill forward over a D man that puts up a ppg that is 6'3. There was a pretty distinct drop off at 12 this year in terms of overall upside. RHD are the hardest thing to get in hockey. There was just no way he wasnt going top 10. Philly trading out of the top 12 is going to likely look like a big mistake.

 

[Micklebot]

I just dont think anyone is considering an undersized skill forward over a D man that puts up a ppg that is 6'3. There was a pretty distinct drop off at 12 this year in terms of overall upside. RHD are the hardest thing to get in hockey. There was just no way he wasnt going top 10. Philly trading out of the top 12 is going to likely look like a big mistake.

I think Catton is the only undersized forward that might have gone ahead of him, Heleinious at 5'11 190 might be a bit below average, but not so much that there's any serious concerns about his size. It's the 4 Dmen that went after him who all could have just as easily been ahead of him though. Silayev slid much further than I expected, as did Buium, and I could easily see a team preferring Parekh over Yakemchuk as evidenced by more scouts in Bob's list having Parekh in their top ten than Yakemchuk.

I'm happy with who we got, I just think there were a lot of viable options,

 

[bert]

I think Catton is the only undersized forward that might have gone ahead of him, Heleinious at 5'11 190 might be a bit below average, but not so much that there's any serious concerns about his size. It's the 4 Dmen that went after him who all could have just as easily been ahead of him though. Silayev slid much further than I expected, as did Buium, and I could easily see a team preferring Parekh over Yakemchuk as evidenced by more scouts in Bob's list having Parekh in their top ten than Yakemchuk.

I'm happy with who we got, I just think there were a lot of viable options,

Catton has great wheels so maybe. Helenious is a dime a dozen type of player and prospect in the league. Small skill is so easy to get now especially if you arent a center for sure. I dont think any team takes him over Yakemchuk.

I dont know how someone watches Parekh and likes him more. He's and undersized d man and not a great skater. Not a good defender and doesnt have the physical package of a good defensive D man either.

The right handed shot D is clearly valued as all 3 righties went first. I was suprised how much Buium 'fell'. But I also think there was a distinct top 12.

 

[Senator Stanley]

I just dont think anyone is considering an undersized skill forward over a D man that puts up a ppg that is 6'3. There was a pretty distinct drop off at 12 this year in terms of overall upside. RHD are the hardest thing to get in hockey. There was just no way he wasnt going top 10. Philly trading out of the top 12 is going to likely look like a big mistake.

There were 12 guys for 10 slots. We'll of course never know for sure, but I think Yakemchuk definitely could have fallen outside the top 10 if the board fell a different way. It happened to Noah Dobson, another big, PPG RHD, after all.