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

[jbeck5]

All bolded words are essentials to become an elite D.

You bolded my "lol" too haha

 

[bert]

All bolded words are essentials to become an elite D.

His edges are fantastic and so is his top end speed. He's a big guy that is still growing into his body, his fast twitch and first few steps are going to get better. His decision making offensively is elite, his first pass is very good, he also clears the crease really well and plays with an edge. Yes his d zone positioning needs work and so does his first step. These are things a player can work on. You know what you cant teach, size, skill and a mean streak. All of which he has, he is a raw prospects on a longer development curve. But if he hits he could be a unicorn type player. At worst I think he is a 3rd pair d man who can play on the 2nd pp. At best he is Shea Weber with better hands.

People are going to have to be patient, he will have another year of Jr and probably a year in the AHL where he comes up and down. Big guys take longer to get there but its typically always worth it if they are developed properly.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

For those interested in learning more about his game, HockeyProspect.com had a good breakdown:

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Might as well add NHL scout comments

 

[Micklebot]

Buium was the only guy I really wanted over Yak. His skating is phenomenal though. I've seen you post this a few times. What are you talking about? I can't believe how far he fell.

Yeah, only reason I'm a bit disappointed is because Buium and Silayev were on the board, and I would have preferred them.

Sennecke was the guy I was hoping for (because the aforementioned I assumed would be gone, Dickenson the guy I expected, but Yak was in my 'im fine with' group.

Some wild range in player comps have been thrown around though.... Pietrangelo, Burns, Weber, those are all pretty different players....

 

[bert]

Yeah, only reason I'm a bit disappointed is because Buium and Silayev were on the board, and I would have preferred them.

Sennecke was the guy I was hoping for (because the aforementioned I assumed would be gone, Dickenson the guy I expected, but Yak was in my 'im fine with' group.

Some wild range in player comps have been thrown around though.... Pietrangelo, Burns, Weber, those are all pretty different players....

The three righties were picked first there is a true premium on the position. It happened for a reason.

Pietrangelo is a good Dickinson comp but I dont think he's as offensive.

I dont think Yak will ever skate like Burns but he has his dangles. However stylistically I think Weber is what his peak is.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Yeah, only reason I'm a bit disappointed is because Buium and Silayev were on the board, and I would have preferred them.

Sennecke was the guy I was hoping for (because the aforementioned I assumed would be gone, Dickenson the guy I expected, but Yak was in my 'im fine with' group.

Some wild range in player comps have been thrown around though.... Pietrangelo, Burns, Weber, those are all pretty different players....

Well he is a Sen now but for me there are a few I would have taken ahead ; as drafted list below
9. Parekh
10. Silayev
11. Dickinson
12. Buium
13. Luchanko
14. Helenius

Not much we can do now except rely on our development staff and hope.

 

[Micklebot]

The three righties were picked first there is a true premium on the position. It happened for a reason.

Pietrangelo is a good Dickinson comp but I dont think he's as offensive.

I dont think Yak will ever skate like Burns but he has his dangles. However stylistically I think Weber is what his peak is.

Lev was always going to go highest, imo, I am really surprised Silayev slid so much, maybe due to the Russian factor. Demidov also sliding to 5th suggests that was a potential factor

I'm warming up to the pick, get him to spend some time with Shelly Kettles and hopefully he can focus a bit more on playing the defensive side

 

[Micklebot]

Well he is a Sen now but for me there are a few I would have taken ahead ; as drafted list below
9. Parekh
10. Silayev
11. Dickinson
12. Buium
13. Luchanko
14. Helenius

Not much we can do now except rely on our development staff and hope.

I'm just going to assume he hits the Weber comp, and hope everyone else (especially Demidov) busts...

Seriously though, I found this draft tough to pin down, I'd have had no issue with any of the guys you list, aside from maybe Luchanko who I don't know enough about to have an opinion on.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I'm just going to assume he hits the Weber comp, and hope everyone else (especially Demidov) busts...

Seriously though, I found this draft tough to pin down, I'd have had no issue with any of the guys you list, aside from maybe Luchanko who I don't know enough about to have an opinion on.

A huge 1st ballot Hall of Famer Stud Defensive Defenseman would be very unexpected

 

[BondraTime]

I'm just going to assume he hits the Weber comp, and hope everyone else (especially Demidov) busts...

Seriously though, I found this draft tough to pin down, I'd have had no issue with any of the guys you list, aside from maybe Luchanko who I don't know enough about to have an opinion on.

There were 6-7 guys who could rightfully go 7th, Yakemchuk being one of them.

People shouldn't be upset about Yakemchuk, he was always expected to be in that range of 5-14, any of which couldn have been taken at 7.

I'm wary from watching him live and ovre the year online, but I've been wrong more than enough times to know that what I think doesn't really matter in the long run

 

[GCK]

I’m not surprised at the pick. Staios like a big robust blue line.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Insane offensive abilities. Gonna have to be paired with a sturdy leftie, but he has the speed to get back into plays (or so i see from highlight packages).

Nasty crease clearer too. Probably have to be careful not to rack up pims for the wrong reason

 

[The Waffler]

Insane offensive abilities. Gonna have to be paired with a sturdy leftie, but he has the speed to get back into plays (or so i see from highlight packages).

Nasty crease clearer too. Probably have to be careful not to rack up pims for the wrong reason

Hopefully Klevin figures the NHL out.

Klevin-Yackemchuk could be a nasty pairing.

 

[SpezDispenser]

Hopefully Klevin figures the NHL out.

Klevin-Yackemchuk could be a nasty pairing.

Oh shit, yeah. I was thinking Sanderson, but yes to that duo.

 

[bert]

Hopefully Klevin figures the NHL out.

Klevin-Yackemchuk could be a nasty pairing.

I think Sanderson would be a perfect compliment in a few years. Could be an absolutely dominating top pair.

 

[The Waffler]

I think Sanderson would be a perfect compliment in a few years. Could be an absolutely dominating top pair.

I agree with that also. I would only point out that it doesn’t really matter who you pair Sandy with, he’s gonna look good.

 

[Agent Zub]

Come on guys his hockey iq isn't that low.

The floor and upside are pretty high as well. Like worst case he is a big nasty 3rd pair RD and best case he definitely has potential to be a two way goalscoring 1st pair D.

With good coaching and with his size and his natural inclination for physical contact he can become a defensive weapon too.

His passing is also good = good vision = good hockey sense.

We shouldn't be this down on him.

 

[SidSixpointSeven]

Low IQ, meh skating and is one of the oldest guys in the draft.

Our scouts are dinosaurs who don't understand that there's more about players than toughness.

Could have had either Dickenson or Parekh - both way better defencemen. Saw Parekh play live here in Ottawa and then watched him in the Mem Cup - this guy is going to be a stud.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Any chance he gets moved to a better team?

I want to see him under a good team where he’s not asked to provide offence all the time so he can’t focus on D a bit more. I wanna see him with better forwards so his breakout passes that usually turn into odd man rushes actually finish and he brings up his assist total.

It will be very interesting seeing him in the world juniors tournament.

 

[BondraTime]

Any chance he gets moved to a better team.

I want to see him under a good team where he’s not asked to provide offence all the time so he can’t focus on D a bit more. I wanna see him with better forwards so his breakout passes that usually turn into off an rushes actually finish and he brings up his assist total.

It will be very interesting seeing him in the world juniors tournament.

I'm unsure of what the Hitmen's junior cycle point is right now, but if they aren't looking to make a run he's going to be moved

 

[Daffy]

The "low iq" is a tired narrative. One person says it, and the sheep follow, without having any idea what they are talking about

 

[Tuna99]

The "low iq" is a tired narrative. One person says it, and the sheep follow, without having any idea what they are talking about

D that play on bad teams take a lot of bad passes, don’t always get the puck in the best spots, often want to pass and no one is open so they have to skate and get attacked at higher rates of speed - I love the pick and he checks all the boxes

 

[Good in Osgoode]

Some comparisons other than the Pietrangelo comparison by hockey analysts were Valimaki, Bouchard, Severson.
Hopefully Yakemchuk will play for Team Canada at the World Juniors in Ottawa this year.... Which I will be attending and I have always wanted to go see them in person.
I also attended the Memorial Cup Championship game in Saginaw Michigan.

What is the likelihood that Yak plays for Team Canada at the upcoming WJC in Ottawa?

In looking at a couple of articles, it mentions that Bonk is the only returning D from the last WJC.
Then goes on to include Yak amongst Parekh, Dickinson, Dragicevic & Molendyk as possible options for this year's team. If that is the case, it will be interesting to see how he compares to Parekh & Dickinson in the tourney.

I like the pick. I had the feeling that if Iginla was off the board, they were definitely going with a RHD. So, it came down to Parekh v Yak.

Yak certainly seems to be more of what they were looking for:
- Size
- Skill
- Physical
- 2-Way
- Shot

From the interview with Staois, he referenced the term 'raw' when describing Yak, which tells me that they think there is the ability to work out his deficiencies (pivots, positioning, backward skating) and that he is a few years away.

 

[Golden_Jet]

The first 3 RD gone by pick 8, the first of the big LD didn’t start until pick 10.

 

[KevinRedkey]

I’m not sure how legit that argument is though. Plenty of CHL players that get traded mid-season from bad to good teams see their numbers skyrocket once they’re with the good team. Who you play with has a huge impact on your numbers in junior hockey. Look at Noah Dobson in 2018-2019 after he got traded to a team with actual offence.

Yakemchuk’s team had 2 other NHL-drafted players on it, Parekh’s team had about 9.

I was speaking more to his role than his skill in that point. It's like how Karlsson hit 100 in SJS but wouldn't have anywhere else.

Yaks skillet isn't going to be some purely offensive Dman. Those guys who are as physical as he is basically don't exist. He's also not good enough of a skater to achieve that in the NHL.