Prospect Info: Brayden Yager

[Buffdog]

Are you reducing how good or tough a player is to just penalties? Dont put that on me thats your strawman. Some sort of chat board weird reverse uno card after I say the 6 minutes in penalties mean nothing about his toughness you come up with this?

Where did I say that his 6 minutes in PIMs doesn't make him good or tough? In fact, can you point out in either of my posts where I even used the word "tough"? Who is putting words in whose mouth again?

I just said that he's not a prototypical power forward like Tkachuk or Lowry, who both end up with more PIMs because they play with more grit. I used the Shane Doan comparison, who was also a power forward without as much grit

Sheesh

 

[ps241]

I see a lot of these 6 penalty minute posts. It's college hockey it's not a place to play a mean game. They wear full cages like children. I think the 6 penalty minutes is a result of being a superior player in the league and not being caught out of position.

It is probably my preseption more than anything. In one of Rutger’s interviews after we drafted him they asked him who he models his game after and he mentioned two names and one of the them was Brady Tkachuk. I was hoping for more that type of power forward that is in your face and that doesn’t seem to be the part of Brady’s game Rutger models himself after at this stage.

Either way I like him as a prospect notwithstanding the drama.

 

[TS Quint]

Where did I say that his 6 minutes in PIMs doesn't make him good or tough? In fact, can you point out in either of my posts where I even used the word "tough"? Who is putting words in whose mouth again?

I just said that he's not a prototypical power forward like Tkachuk or Lowry, who both end up with more PIMs because they play with more grit. I used the Shane Doan comparison, who was also a power forward without as much grit

Sheesh

All I said was the 6 minutes in penalties doesn't mean anything. It's College hockey, they aren't punching each other in the face and roughing each other up to intimidate and make room. It's mostly stick infractions. You take those when you don't have the puck and are out of position.

I agree he will be some where below Tkachuk just like 99.999% of the league.

 

[Buffdog]

All I said was the 6 minutes in penalties doesn't mean anything. It's College hockey, they aren't punching each other in the face and roughing each other up to intimidate and make room. It's mostly stick infractions. You take those when you don't have the puck and are out of position.

I agree he will be some where below Tkachuk just like 99.999% of the league.

Of course it means something, but as to how much you value that thing is up to you

Kyle Connor had the same number of PIMs in his year at Michigan (6) and went on to win a Lady Byng

He'll play as a strong forward who uses his body to make plays, but he'll do so in a clean and gentlemanly way. He won't play like a pest and get under opposing teams skin, or physically intimidate anyone. Unlikely to stand up for teammates, etc

That's why I hate the Tkachuk comparison

 

[raideralex99]

Wow ... the 2023-24 winner of the CHL Sportsman of the Year Award is Brayden Yager ... good stuff.
Hopefully he turns out great and the Jets can send all their scouts from the US colleges to scout the WHL better. It's time to stay away from the US colleges hopefully Chevy has learned his lesson ... first Trouba, Roslovic and now McGroarty.
I would love to see NHL teams stop drafting US college hockey players in the first round to teach them a lesson.
Jets should be drafting more players from the WHL ... Lowry and Morrissey turned out to be great.

 

[gojetsgo]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827459118984262107

 

[Buffdog]

Wow ... the 2023-24 winner of the CHL Sportsman of the Year Award is Brayden Yager ... good stuff.
Hopefully he turns out great and the Jets can send all their scouts from the US colleges to scout the WHL better. It's time to stay away from the US colleges hopefully Chevy has learned his lesson ... first Trouba, Roslovic and now McGroarty.
I would love to see NHL teams stop drafting US college hockey players in the first round to teach them a lesson.
Jets should be drafting more players from the WHL ... Lowry and Morrissey turned out to be great.

FWIW, he was also CHL Rookie of the Year... beating out that Bedard guy. Pretty good company

 

[sipowicz]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827459118984262107

Thought that was Perfetan in the front !

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

Search Lady Byng winners and by and large it’s a list of players I would crawl over broken glass to have on my team. Many of them like Slavin and Kopitar that are REALLY hard to play against.

Sebastian Aho is one of my favourite two way centres in the NhL and he is 6’ 176 pounds.

Yager may or may not make it but his size will not be the issue.

So Kyle Connor…

 

[ps241]

So Kyle Connor…

I don’t get the Connor vibes off Yager. I think they are different players stylistically. I am hoping Bryan Little but I’m getting ahead of myself.

 

[Finnflash]

Goes good with him now playing for the Jets, don't you think...

I like this. We can make a bunch of Chuck Norris like memes

 

[Daximus]

I am interested to hear what @Daximus and @Joe Hallenback have to say.

I do like Rutger the power forward more as a prospect but this beats the hell out of a 2nd round pick two years from now. I think on balance the return is fair.

Love to hear from some of our guys who see WHL games like @Daximus and @Joe Hallenback about their viewings of Yager.

Pretty excited that we finally have a Warriors pick who could play for the team!!!

Yager is a great kid, works hard every shift. Great skater, isn't going to wow you with skill but just plays a very straight forward offensive game. He can shoot but his real offensive weapon is his speed and ability to apply pressure when off the puck. Also see's the ice really well and can find guys wide open often. Natural center who can fit into our system down the line.

I think in this exchange we are probably going to have to wait and see. McG is likely going to hit the ground running with the Pens. He'll likely be in their top 6, he'll likely get PP2 time right off the bat and it's going to be a little rough to watch early on as we could really use him in our own lineup. Yager on the other hand is likely going to need more time to develop. Probably another year of Junior (misses the cut off for AHL by 3 days) and is probably going to need at least a year in the A, maybe 2, before he's ready. So while Rutger is likely in his 2nd or 3rd NHL season we will see Yager pushing for a spot. It's going to be a slow burn and it's going to be rough for awhile but I have confidence that Yager will be a good player at the NHL level in some capacity.

 

[surixon]

Pretty excited that we finally have a Warriors pick who could play for the team!!!

Yager is a great kid, works hard every shift. Great skater, isn't going to wow you with skill but just plays a very straight forward offensive game. He can shoot but his real offensive weapon is his speed and ability to apply pressure when off the puck. Also see's the ice really well and can find guys wide open often. Natural center who can fit into our system down the line.

I think in this exchange we are probably going to have to wait and see. McG is likely going to hit the ground running with the Pens. He'll likely be in their top 6, he'll likely get PP2 time right off the bat and it's going to be a little rough to watch early on as we could really use him in our own lineup. Yager on the other hand is likely going to need more time to develop. Probably another year of Junior (misses the cut off for AHL by 3 days) and is probably going to need at least a year in the A, maybe 2, before he's ready. So while Rutger is likely in his 2nd or 3rd NHL season we will see Yager pushing for a spot. It's going to be a slow burn and it's going to be rough for awhile but I have confidence that Yager will be a good player at the NHL level in some capacity.

Honestly Rutger was dead to me the day he pulled his stunt. Don't really give two shits how he does in the show.

 

[ps241]

Pretty excited that we finally have a Warriors pick who could play for the team!!!

Yager is a great kid, works hard every shift. Great skater, isn't going to wow you with skill but just plays a very straight forward offensive game. He can shoot but his real offensive weapon is his speed and ability to apply pressure when off the puck. Also see's the ice really well and can find guys wide open often. Natural center who can fit into our system down the line.

I think in this exchange we are probably going to have to wait and see. McG is likely going to hit the ground running with the Pens. He'll likely be in their top 6, he'll likely get PP2 time right off the bat and it's going to be a little rough to watch early on as we could really use him in our own lineup. Yager on the other hand is likely going to need more time to develop. Probably another year of Junior (misses the cut off for AHL by 3 days) and is probably going to need at least a year in the A, maybe 2, before he's ready. So while Rutger is likely in his 2nd or 3rd NHL season we will see Yager pushing for a spot. It's going to be a slow burn and it's going to be rough for awhile but I have confidence that Yager will be a good player at the NHL level in some capacity.

We went through the delayed gratification with Couturier vs Scheifele and that wasn’t easy but the difference is we passed over Coots this time McMargie stiffed us so it turns out he wasn’t an option.

We are also crowded on left wing so McGroarty was at least one, or maybe two seasons away from our top 6.

Thanks for the report Dax,I look forward to following Brayden’s development.

 

[voyageur]

Pretty excited that we finally have a Warriors pick who could play for the team!!!

Yager is a great kid, works hard every shift. Great skater, isn't going to wow you with skill but just plays a very straight forward offensive game. He can shoot but his real offensive weapon is his speed and ability to apply pressure when off the puck. Also see's the ice really well and can find guys wide open often. Natural center who can fit into our system down the line.

I think in this exchange we are probably going to have to wait and see. McG is likely going to hit the ground running with the Pens. He'll likely be in their top 6, he'll likely get PP2 time right off the bat and it's going to be a little rough to watch early on as we could really use him in our own lineup. Yager on the other hand is likely going to need more time to develop. Probably another year of Junior (misses the cut off for AHL by 3 days) and is probably going to need at least a year in the A, maybe 2, before he's ready. So while Rutger is likely in his 2nd or 3rd NHL season we will see Yager pushing for a spot. It's going to be a slow burn and it's going to be rough for awhile but I have confidence that Yager will be a good player at the NHL level in some capacity.

That's still a pretty good timeline, because Lambert looks like he could be a #2 centre in the next year or so. Lucius is a guy who might get developed to be Lowry's replacement, if the Jets go that route. Tough to say which of the two are better defensively and on the dot at this point. Offensively I don't think it's a huge disparity either. But you can play an entire forward roster of centres if you want, the transition to playing on the wing is pretty easy once you start in the middle.

Yager's a lock for Team Canada, it's been a few since we could cheer one of our own at the junior level.

Probably will be our most watched prospect now.

 

[Buffdog]

That's still a pretty good timeline, because Lambert looks like he could be a #2 centre in the next year or so. Lucius is a guy who might get developed to be Lowry's replacement, if the Jets go that route. Tough to say which of the two are better defensively and on the dot at this point. Offensively I don't think it's a huge disparity either. But you can play an entire forward roster of centres if you want, the transition to playing on the wing is pretty easy once you start in the middle.

Yager's a lock for Team Canada, it's been a few since we could cheer one of our own at the junior level.

Probably will be our most watched prospect now.

I believe Yager wore an "A" when he played for Canada at the U18s. He could be part of the leadership group at the WJC and a big piece of that team

 

[Daximus]

We went through the delayed gratification with Couturier vs Scheifele and that wasn’t easy but the difference is we passed over Coots this time McMargie stiffed us so it turns out he wasn’t an option.

We are also crowded on left wing so McGroarty was at least one, or maybe two seasons away from our top 6.

Thanks for the report Dax,I look forward to following Brayden’s development.

Yeah I think it's still going to be tough early on if McG hits the ground running but he has made it easier on all of us with the way he has handled this. No love lost there at all.

That's still a pretty good timeline, because Lambert looks like he could be a #2 centre in the next year or so. Lucius is a guy who might get developed to be Lowry's replacement, if the Jets go that route. Tough to say which of the two are better defensively and on the dot at this point. Offensively I don't think it's a huge disparity either. But you can play an entire forward roster of centres if you want, the transition to playing on the wing is pretty easy once you start in the middle.

Yager's a lock for Team Canada, it's been a few since we could cheer one of our own at the junior level.

Probably will be our most watched prospect now.

Pretty good chance that the Warriors trade him this year as well. Firkus, Calvert, Mateychuk, Savoie and Rysavy are all headed to the AHL which is pretty much 4 of the top 6 and our #1D all heading out. Plus we gave up a lot of futures to add Savoie last year so we will likely be looking to recoup a lot of that back by moving some of our better returning players. Good chance that not only will Yager be a major part of team WJC but also heading to a contender to get a shot at another deep run.

 

[Buffdog]

Yeah I think it's still going to be tough early on if McG hits the ground running but he has made it easier on all of us with the way he has handled this. No love lost there at all.




Pretty good chance that the Warriors trade him this year as well. Firkus, Calvert, Mateychuk, Savoie and Rysavy are all headed to the AHL which is pretty much 4 of the top 6 and our #1D all heading out. Plus we gave up a lot of futures to add Savoie last year so we will likely be looking to recoup a lot of that back by moving some of our better returning players. Good chance that not only will Yager be a major part of team WJC but also heading to a contender to get a shot at another deep run.

Pardon my ignorance, but who looks like the likely powerhouses in the WHL this year?

I've followed the league somewhat loosely the past few seasons but now that the kids my son's year have aged out, there are fewer familiar names

 

[jetsforever]

Cool that he used to watch Morrissey (and Drai) with the Raiders
Sounds like a solid prospect and even better that he's fairly local

 

[WolfHouse]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827459118984262107

Looks a bit undersized for the NHL

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

I don’t get the Connor vibes off Yager. I think they are different players stylistically. I am hoping Bryan Little but I’m getting ahead of myself.

I don't get Connor vibes either. Yager has a defensive mindset to his game.

I was speaking tongue in cheek when responding to your post regarding past Lady Byng winners. Connor won it in 2022.

Search Lady Byng winners and by and large it’s a list of players I would crawl over broken glass to have on my team. Many of them like Slavin and Kopitar that are REALLY hard to play against.

 

[Daximus]

Pardon my ignorance, but who looks like the likely powerhouses in the WHL this year?

I've followed the league somewhat loosely the past few seasons but now that the kids my son's year have aged out, there are fewer familiar names

Hard to tell this early due to not knowing whose going to be coming back for a lot of teams.

Medicine Hat has the top young player in the league in McKenna that they can build around for at least the next 2 years. Kelowna has a really solid group with Cristall, Iginla, Gojsic and Price. Spokane has a solid D group to go along with Catton and Ekstrom.

Early on those seem like likely teams to be good but it's a tough call. All I know is the Warriors aren't likely to be great this year.

 

[KingBogo]

Hard to tell this early due to not knowing whose going to be coming back for a lot of teams.

Medicine Hat has the top young player in the league in McKenna that they can build around for at least the next 2 years. Kelowna has a really solid group with Cristall, Iginla, Gojsic and Price. Spokane has a solid D group to go along with Catton and Ekstrom.

Early on those seem like likely teams to be good but it's a tough call. All I know is the Warriors aren't likely to be great this year.

Hey Dax, so what is your take on Yager? What type of player do you project him to be?

 

[WolfHouse]

We went through the delayed gratification with Couturier vs Scheifele and that wasn’t easy but the difference is we passed over Coots this time McMargie stiffed us so it turns out he wasn’t an option.

We are also crowded on left wing so McGroarty was at least one, or maybe two seasons away from our top 6.

Thanks for the report Dax,I look forward to following Brayden’s development.

I suspect part of the reason we were dangling Ehlers was to open a spot for McGro in the top six.... timing is about right for when all the Ehlers trade talk died.

 

[Buffdog]

I suspect part of the reason we were dangling Ehlers was to open a spot for McGro in the top six.... timing is about right for when all the Ehlers trade talk died.

That thought crossed my mind as well

It sounds like around June 8th (day of the draft combine) was when they knew that Rutger wouldn't be a part of the org, which is about when the Ehlers talk subsided?

It is worth noting that the Jets were in on Necas also, meaning Chevy was either trying to add to the top 6 or replace Ehlers