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

[Sting]

I think he should potentially get a couple games, maybe the full 9 if Zub is out for an extended period of time.

What I'd be concerned about happening is once the real games start, opposing forwards going at him hard and him getting flustered then getting sent back.

It feels like he should be in the AHL honestly. Hate that rule in the Canadian juniors.

 

[coladin]

What he has...you cannot teach. What he is missing...you can

 

[aragorn]

First, I expect Yak will end up back in juior.
1. Chabot & Sanderson are the only two defencemen who will be on the PP for a few yrs still, but Yakemchuk will be a good replacement at some time & eventually will be on a future PP.
2. He is big enough, has a long reach, strong enough & has a mean streal to also play on the PK, he blocks shots, he hits, he wins board battles & is a good enough skater to skate the puck out of his zone.
3. Not only will Yakemchuk play on both special teams in future he is going to be good enough 5 on 5 where he can use both those special team skills & strengths that will help his teammates be better. It will take him some time to get up to speed but so much to like.

I expect Ostapchuk could end up in Belleville but for how long will depend on him. In these preseason games Ostapchuk has shown a lot of good attributes & skillset for the kind of player this team needs. We can see he is close to being NHL ready, but IMO needs to get a little stronger & a little more aggressive but he is also going to be a good NHLer & help Ott win.

Kleven is going to be on that 3rd LD spot & he too has shown that he can break up plays with a strong hard hit, he can win board battles, he can block shots & I expect he will be on the PK. He's a good skater & can get the puck out of his own end he is a good passer & makes good reads & passes, he's not going to wow you but he is efficient with his play. I expect he will be a solid D for yrs.

Boucher will end up in Belleville & for his sake hopefully stays healthy for the entire yr & regains the kind of play he had going before his injuries. He has an NHL shot is a good passer & heady player who can change momentum with a big hit or hard wrist shot.

Yak, Ostapchuk, Kleven & potentially Boucher, four good young prospects built for the playoffs who can help the Sens be a much better team as they progress in their development.

 

[bicboi64]

Would rather give Yak 9 games than a single game to Addison (assuming Zub is out for a couple of weeks)

 

[Micklebot]

Would rather give Yak 9 games than a single game to Addison (assuming Zub is out for a couple of weeks)

Well, it's more likely you'd get Hamonic, JBD or Guenette than Addisson.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

with zub out this guy really might be our best rd

 

[bicboi64]

Well, it's more likely you'd get Hamonic, JBD or Guenette than Addisson.

True. I'd be fine with JBD getting more playing time and then Guenette, but I'd rather Yak get a taste of the big club over Hamonic cross checking someone onto our goalie

 

[Micklebot]

True. I'd be fine with JBD getting more playing time and then Guenette, but I'd rather Yak get a taste of the big club over Hamonic cross checking someone onto our goalie

If Zub is out, I'd love to give Yak a taste of Reg season (assuming he continues to do well in preseason).

He still needs to develop, but nothing wrong with a couple games showing him where he needs to get his game to.

 

[Tuna99]

If Zub is out, I'd love to give Yak a taste of Reg season (assuming he continues to do well in preseason).

He still needs to develop, but nothing wrong with a couple games showing him where he needs to get his game to.

You run the risk of him being to good to send back down, and if that’s the case, he’s here for good. Just like when Pitt put Jordan Staal in the lineup at 18 thinking they’d take a look and he was scoring short handed goals like he was possessed and they had to keep him up even though that wasn’t the plan - 1300 NHL games later and a Cup it wasn’t the worst decision

 

[Cosmix]

I think he should potentially get a couple games, maybe the full 9 if Zub is out for an extended period of time.

What I'd be concerned about happening is once the real games start, opposing forwards going at him hard and him getting flustered then getting sent back.

It feels like he should be in the AHL honestly. Hate that rule in the Canadian juniors.

I don't hate that rule; the Junior teams need to keep their better players during their junior years.

 

[bicboi64]

You run the risk of him being to good to send back down, and if that’s the case, he’s here for good. Just like when Pitt put Jordan Staal in the lineup at 18 thinking they’d take a look and he was scoring short handed goals like he was possessed and they had to keep him up even though that wasn’t the plan - 1300 NHL games later and a Cup it wasn’t the worst decision

Don't give me that hope.

I am desperate to eat crow on the Yakemchuk pick and the notion of Yak playing so good that he stays with the big club and us potentially having a Sanderson Yak pairing is too much for my weak heart.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

You run the risk of him being to good to send back down, and if that’s the case, he’s here for good. Just like when Pitt put Jordan Staal in the lineup at 18 thinking they’d take a look and he was scoring short handed goals like he was possessed and they had to keep him up even though that wasn’t the plan - 1300 NHL games later and a Cup it wasn’t the worst decision

Yeah...I don't like that. Being in the NHL is more than just having the skill to be here. You also need the physical strength to absorb the heavy hits and to carve out your space in the league.

I don't want this kid playing a month in Ottawa and then getting hurt because he doesn't have the man strength on his frame yet.

He's been having an amazing camp. And he's gaining a lot of confidence and learning to ton. And that will serve him well in the WHL this year, and hopefully he'll also get to be a star for Canada at the WJC. Those are great stepping stones for a kid and valuable experience.

 

[DuklaNation]

Yakemchuk can play on 3rd pairing/PP right now. Teams got to move on from low upside safe players and be bold. Sending back to junior will flatline his progression.

 

[Tuna99]

Yeah...I don't like that. Being in the NHL is more than just having the skill to be here. You also need the physical strength to absorb the heavy hits and to carve out your space in the league.

I don't want this kid playing a month in Ottawa and then getting hurt because he doesn't have the man strength on his frame yet.

He's been having an amazing camp. And he's gaining a lot of confidence and learning to ton. And that will serve him well in the WHL this year, and hopefully he'll also get to be a star for Canada at the WJC. Those are great stepping stones for a kid and valuable experience.

He’s such a good skater he doesn’t need to be fully developed because he’ll always have leverage. I’m not saying no - Chychryn, Hanafin did it. Don’t see why Yak can’t do it

He’s exactly what they want in the 3rd pairing.

 

[JD1]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1839707076974501899

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Patience, he just got drafted lol, he’s doing fine for a fresh draft pick.
You don’t think he can be offensive either.

I think he's got work to do to translate his game but you go ahead and make up shit.

Also, I basically said I'd rather teach an offensive player defense (patience) than try to go the other way. But yeah strawman away, guy who seems unable to read.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

No kidding he's an 18 year old offensive dynamo.... Not sure what people expect. He has the tools to be very strong defensively though. He's big, he isn't shy physically, he has a great stick and has terrific hockey sense.

As we all know he's very raw, his first step and pivot have a ways to go but he's also a late bloomer physically. If he has the work ethic this will improve. He needs to be coached for sure hence why he shouldn't stay up here for the full season under any circumstance. Lots of reps are needed.

Yakemchuks package is very unique but if he wants to be an elite all situations d man he Wil have to prove he can be a mature person. He has to be coach able and he has to put in the work. Hopefully he is! But only time will tell.

I never said he wasn't an 18 year old.

A person said he excels at D. He doesn't. That is objective fact to anyone who watches him play. I never said he wouldn't get there.
I merely refuted the fact that he excels at both ends of the ice. At this point he simply doesn't do that at even the junior level. I look forward to seeing him make progress in that regard this year.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I never said he wasn't an 18 year old.

A person said he excels at D. He doesn't. That is objective fact to anyone who watches him play. I never said he wouldn't get there.
I merely refuted the fact that he excels at both ends of the ice. At this point he simply doesn't do that at even the junior level. I look forward to seeing him make progress in that regard this year.

He’s been pretty good on the d side of things so far.

 

[Icelevel]

He’s been pretty good on the d side of things so far.

As good as almost anyone not named Sanderson. Great to see at his age.
He’s going to be a hell of an addition when he gets here full time.

He’s already serviceable (so far anyway) but to get to the next level he should be doing what he says he will be doing which is getting faster and quicker. He’s on the right path and seems to have the right plan in place.

Our best d will be Sanderson and yakemchuk. Hopefully zub sticks around and can keep it up and he’d be a close number 3, possibly/hopefully with Kleven as well.

 

[SweSensFan]

As good as almost anyone not named Sanderson. Great to see at his age.
He’s going to be a hell of an addition when he gets here full time.

He’s already serviceable (so far anyway) but to get to the next level he should be doing what he says he will be doing which is getting faster and quicker. He’s on the right path and seems to have the right plan in place.

Our best d will be Sanderson and yakemchuk. Hopefully zub sticks around and can keep it up and he’d be a close number 3, possibly/hopefully with Kleven as well.

Yeah we could potentially have a really strong defense with something like:

Sanderson- yakemchuk
Chabot-zub
Kleven-Jensen

In a year or two...

I know zub and sandy are great together but it feels more balanced in the long term to have a really strong defensive d-man on both of the top pairs..

 

[OD99]

The new management is too smart to keep him up all year.

He may well get the 9 games, skipping a few here and there while still benefiting from NHL coaching and improving.

Then WJHC and finish the season in the Dub.

 

[Cosmix]

Yakemchuk can play on 3rd pairing/PP right now. Teams got to move on from low upside safe players and be bold. Sending back to junior will flatline his progression.

I don't think it will stunt his progress. Rather I think it will allow him to learn how to dominate at his current level in Junior, develop his skills (both defensively and offensively), and allow him to mature into a young "man" rather than being a "teenager". Another season in Junior, then a season in the AHL will help him hone his skills for the NHL pro game. I would rather he have "success" at junior and AHL levels before advancing to the NHL.

Yeah we could potentially have a really strong defense with something like:

Sanderson- yakemchuk
Chabot-zub
Kleven-Jensen

In a year or two...

I know zub and sandy are great together but it feels more balanced in the long term to have a really strong defensive d-man on both of the top pairs..

I think one of the reasons teams have a really strong defensive D'man on the top pairs is because they do not have and cannot afford two top offensive D'men on the top pairs.

 

[jake1]

Anyone watching knows Sanderson could have played in the NHL the day after he was drafted, he's just that smart. But when he went back to und for his second year, he went to the Olympics and took a hard hit into the boards in his first game and got hurt. That's one good reason to let these guys get more mature physically, so their bodies can stand up to the pounding.

 

[LiseL]

that's my point. I think the highest I've seen in recent years was low teens.

we get caught up in drafting. If you are lucky, you draft your core pieces. But there is a lot of roster filler that comes from different places

Which makes it more difficult for Ottawa is we are not a destination. We're currently on par with Calgary and Winnipeg IMO. We'd have to become contenders for that to change as it has for Edmonton. TML are an original 6 team that usually can attract UFAs. That's why drafting is so important for small market teams. It's not a level playing field.

 

[Silky Johnson]

While I'm pretty sure Yak will be sent to back to the CHL, I do not understand why so many people have a hard on for it to happen.

It's likely the best thing for his development but his play should dictate where he goes.

He has played well enough to get some regular season games. If he plays well enough through nine,and it looks like he will get enough playing time, them he should stay up.