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

[PlayOn]

This is what was said in Wheeler’s article about him on The Athletic. I’m assuming the Sens feel like it’s a matter of growing into his body but who knows.

The second thing they’ll ask about is his skating.

Crashley will answer quickly.

“Man, I’m not even sure he fully has his feet under him,” he’ll insist.

In his first year in the WHL, Crashley said, Yakemchuk “couldn’t stay on his feet and was falling over at random times all the time.” Today, even at 6-3 and over 200 pounds, Crashley says “he still has a young body.”

He says that’s actually part of the reason why so many NHL teams are high on Yakemchuk.

 

[bicboi64]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/56...senators-sanderson/?source=emp_shared_article

Wishing Yakemchuk all the success in his development, love that him and Sandy know each other and they better become a dominant top pairing.
“He sent me a note congratulating me and welcoming me to Ottawa. It was really cool to get that text,” says Yakemchuk.

It was not a surprising text message, given that the Yakemchuk and Sanderson families have known each other for years. One of Yakemchuk’s two older brothers, Keeling, played goalie on Sanderson’s teams growing up in the Calgary minor hockey system.

“I would always see Carter at the rinks all over Calgary. You could tell he just loved hockey,” Sanderson says via text. “They lived in the neighborhood across from us and there was a big outdoor rink there in the winters and our families would go skate on it.”

Yakemchuk admits that when he watched Sanderson play alongside his brother, he didn’t see an NHL talent leaping off the ice. That’s because he was simply tagging along to watch his brother — who is four years older than him — play hockey.

“I was just a kid in the stands. I wasn’t paying too much attention to what was going on in the ice,” laughs Yakemchuk."

 

[Alf Silfversson]

His skating makes me cringe. But he has been able to work with it to this point but it's a clear area that he could improve on. By the time he's in the NHL he'll look much better like bouchard. The hockey IQ piece is always the more concerning thing.

I agree. Needs work for sure. Backwards skating is the most glaring issue with him but his agility could use some work too.

I bet he gets it sorted out well enough to be a good player. Hopefully he's willing to put in the work but I'd still bet on it being a bit longer than most are expecting before he's an impact top 4 D.

 

[Sens in Process]

This is what was said in Wheeler’s article about him on The Athletic. I’m assuming the Sens feel like it’s a matter of growing into his body but who knows.

Yakemchuk was about 5'9 or 5'10 - depending on the source- a couple of months before his 15th birthday. He had a relatively late growth spurt and, as you say, is still growing into his projectable frame. He is raw

Brady didn't look like the most graceful skater. He fell down a lot in his first development camp. In the end, Yakemchuk will be a good skater. His top-end speed is quite good and so are his edges - the improvements in dexterity and short area burst will come in time,

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

Elite Skating

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808531252997227005

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808535421963411477

He looks like me warming up for rec hockey lol. I’m also tall and a right shot D. Maybe I have elite skating!

I kid, obviously those videos don’t show much of anything.

 

[Icelevel]

Dave poulin lol

Not that it’s terrible and can improve so it’s not a problem at all. But elite? Come on Dave

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Dave poulin lol

Not that it’s terrible and can improve so it’s not a problem at all. But elite? Come on Dave

I think the 2021 Habs are just the measuring stick for everything for Poulin, so maybe he will be a better skater than Chiarot and Edmundson.

 

[BondraTime]

Yakemchuk’s skating is what it is, a work in progress. Poulin never did him any favors.

There are tons of things we should be very excited for with him, elite skating isn't one of them.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

He looks like me warming up for rec hockey lol. I’m also tall and a right shot D. Maybe I have elite skating!

I kid, obviously those videos don’t show much of anything.

The smallest possible sample size... but they do show a little .. not worth breaking it down. They don't show much but not nothing.

 

[aragorn]

Dave poulin lol

Not that it’s terrible and can improve so it’s not a problem at all. But elite? Come on Dave

Poulin also really likes Pinto.

 

[Icelevel]

Poulin also really likes Pinto.

I don’t get it

 

[aragorn]

I don’t get it

Really? He's a 6'3" centre, very good skater, fast, good defensively, can play PK/PP, great shot, good offensive instincts, smart player, good at faceoffs, he ticks off a lot of boxes

 

[Icelevel]

Really? He's a 6'3" centre, very good skater, fast, good defensively, can play PK/PP, great shot, good offensive instincts, smart player, good at faceoffs, he ticks off a lot of boxes

Oh yeah I know pinto IS awesome. But I don’t get the connection to the “elite skating” comment re yakemchuk.

 

[aragorn]

Oh yeah I know pinto IS awesome. But I don’t get the connection to the “elite skating” comment re yakemchuk.

His skating seems fine at development camp, but it's not game situations so wait & see I guess.

 

[Icelevel]

His skating seems fine at development camp, but it's not game situations so wait & see I guess.

I mean I’ve seen enough of him. His skating is fine. Good once he gets going with the puck on his stick. But it’s not “elite” like poulin said.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

His skating seems fine at development camp, but it's not game situations so wait & see I guess.

Does it though? Not saying it's going to be the end up of him or he can't improve, but you can see his lack of lateral skating ability in one of those clips where he can't keep up with a forward going to the net.

It's still early and just dev camp, so I'm not sure how much I should read into it.

 

[Sens in Process]

Yakemchuk looks pretty smooth to me in this video. MFer is a quick study. He will be more than fine.

Claire Hannah getting his height wrong is something.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808579973290029503

 

[Burrowsaurus]

A shy, reserved Carter Yakemchuk opens up about Jake Sanderson and being drafted by Ottawa

Nice article by Mendes - Sanderson and Yakemchuk have close familial/hockey connections.

There you are man. How happy are you

 

[Sens in Process]

There you are man. How happy are you

Oh I am happy. I hope he develops, cleans up some of his issues and we can all learn to love the player.

 

[DJB]

Poulin saying Yakemchuk has elite skating is asinine. However it’s also not as bad as many are making it out to be as well.

The growth spurt comment is interesting as someone previously mentioned that and Brady. You can add in Sennekke who also had a late big growth spurt and now has ugly skating as well but it will likely improve .

I’m confident Yakemchuks skating will improve and even if it doesn’t it won’t prevent him from being an NHL player

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Damn. Scouching had yakemchuk outside his first round.


Obviously doesn’t see Alexander Pashin or Noel Gunler level of potential there.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

lol Scouching. I am not the biggest Yakemchuk fan but scouching hahahahaha

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

Scouching said the Sens would regret taking Sanderson over Rossi back in 2020

 

[Wondercarrot]

Unrelated to his skating, but it was nice seeing some of the quotes from Catton talking about Yakemchuk as being the toughest guy to play against in the Dub and naming him as one of the more underrated draft eligible players. If the guys on the ice notice it it's no wonder the scouts were enamored with him.

Catton is 100% sold on Yakemchuk lol

“He’s the silkiest guy I’ve seen,” said Berkly Catton, another projected first-round pick in 2024. “He almost plays like a smaller guy, but he is a big guy. He’s always a threat, especially in the offensive zone.”

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Catton is 100% sold on Yakemchuk lol

“He’s the silkiest guy I’ve seen,” said Berkly Catton, another projected first-round pick in 2024. “He almost plays like a smaller guy, but he is a big guy. He’s always a threat, especially in the offensive zone.”

Definitely where he shines