F Brayden Yager - Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL (2023, 14th, PIT)

[Dipsy Doodle]

Fascinating discussion about Newhook...if only it weren't in a Yager thread where nobody gives a shit.

Start a Newhook thread. Christ.

 

[Michoulicious]

Fascinating discussion about Newhook...if only it weren't in a Yager thread where nobody gives a shit.

Start a Newhook thread. Christ.

Guy said Yager is not a good skater like Newhook is not a good skater... It was too outrageous, I had to step in.

You can carry on.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Guy said Yager is not a good skater like Newhook is not a good skater... It was too outrageous, I had to step in.

You can carry on.

 

[Hockey4Lyfe]

121 points in 79 games in the WHL this year.

Even with being a 14th overall pick. He took a big step forward this past year.

 

[Ryder71]

Three points, but not his best game. Are we gonna sign the kid or what?

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Interested to see if he gets the 9 game tryout in the league before a decision has to be made. Feel like he has been underrated a bit because his DY in junior didn't live up to expectations. Probably sent back to the Dub, but who knows.

 

[Peat]

Yeah I feel like McCann has been the common comparison thrown towards Yager that I've seen. I think Yager may have a better chance at sticking at C than McCann, but I'm unsure that Yager has the 40 goal upside that McCann has shown.

I'd guess he would fall in "good top-6 winger or good 2C" upside territory. Maybe not a pure top line guy but a 30-30 top-6 guy seems reasonable.

I think Yager absolutely has that upside - particularly if you use the McCann yardstick of hit it once and never look close again - but while pointing out most guys don't hit their upside and that those sort of goal totals are heavily situational anyway.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Yeah I feel like McCann has been the common comparison thrown towards Yager that I've seen. I think Yager may have a better chance at sticking at C than McCann, but I'm unsure that Yager has the 40 goal upside that McCann has shown.

I'd guess he would fall in "good top-6 winger or good 2C" upside territory. Maybe not a pure top line guy but a 30-30 top-6 guy seems reasonable.

Yager could touch 40 if he rounds out parts of his game. Some forget that McCann was rushed into the league as a 19 year old by Vancouver and floated around aimlessly for a couple years in Florida, not showing his potential until later in his Pittsburgh days.

 

[wetcoast]

I don't know the exact rules but is he AHL eligible next year on the numbers of seasons in junior?

Agewise I get that he can go back to the WHL, I'm just not sure what the point is as he is ready for the next level to grow.

 

[Jacob]

I don't know the exact rules but is he AHL eligible next year on the numbers of seasons in junior?

Agewise I get that he can go back to the WHL, I'm just not sure what the point is as he is ready for the next level to grow.

He could possibly be considered as AHL-eligible depending on how that shortened COVID season is counted but Spezza seemed to indicate they weren’t going to press the issue or apply for an exemption. Of course that may also depend on how he performs in camp and preseason, and he’s still not signed yet.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I don't know the exact rules but is he AHL eligible next year on the numbers of seasons in junior?

Agewise I get that he can go back to the WHL, I'm just not sure what the point is as he is ready for the next level to grow.

No, Penguins reporters have been asking about this at development camp but the answer has been no from asking the Penguins about it.

The issue is that Yager wouldn't have played a full season in 2020 regardless because he wasn't granted exceptional status in that year, so even though he played 24 of 24 games, he wouldn't have been eligible to play a full season as a 15 year old.

Yager's situation was more akin to one of those prospects who gets a cup of coffee at the end of a WHL season.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

No, Penguins reporters have been asking about this at development camp but the answer has been no from asking the Penguins about it.

The issue is that Yager wouldn't have played a full season in 2020 regardless because he wasn't granted exceptional status in that year, so even though he played 24 of 24 games, he wouldn't have been eligible to play a full season as a 15 year old.

Yager's situation was more akin to one of those prospects who gets a cup of coffee at the end of a WHL season.

Hopefully he gets the 9 games in before heading back to MJ then!!

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Good skater I wouldn’t call him an elite skater tho just yet

Yeah he accelerates well and has a pretty high end top speed in a straight line.

Edgework and agility is merely solid though

I think Yager absolutely has that upside - particularly if you use the McCann yardstick of hit it once and never look close again - but while pointing out most guys don't hit their upside and that those sort of goal totals are heavily situational anyway.

He’s one of the hardest reads for me. I really struggle to rate Yager’s pro potential. I could see so many different outcomes.

 

[Peat]

He’s one of the hardest reads for me. I really struggle to rate Yager’s pro potential. I could see so many different outcomes.

Where's the uncertainty for you? I know you're not a big fan of him in general and suspect I can guess your answer, but I like to be sure of these things.

For me, from afar and without having followed close, it feels like Yager has a lot of tools at the "potentially dominant but nothing special if he doesn't keep improving" stage and none at the "absolutely dominant, this is how he'll define himself at the NHL" level. Which leaves everything open from very good AHL player to very good NHL player.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Where's the uncertainty for you? I know you're not a big fan of him in general and suspect I can guess your answer, but I like to be sure of these things.

For me, from afar and without having followed close, it feels like Yager has a lot of tools at the "potentially dominant but nothing special if he doesn't keep improving" stage and none at the "absolutely dominant, this is how he'll define himself at the NHL" level. Which leaves everything open from very good AHL player to very good NHL player.

Yeah pretty much on the bolded. To add, lack of size and a lot of perimeter scoring.

On the other hand he has had success on every team he’s been on between junior and Team Canada. He’s not a bad prospect at all.

Just not sure what I see him as in the league.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Yeah pretty much on the bolded. To add, lack of size and a lot of perimeter scoring.

On the other hand he has had success on every team he’s been on between junior and Team Canada. He’s not a bad prospect at all.

Just not sure what I see him as in the league.

Elite PP sniper with inconsistent 5v5 production. Much richer man's Mike Hoffman. He has more in his bag than Hoffman ever did, which gives him potential to hit 30 goals at an earlier age, but we will see if he can drive play at the pro level, or instead becomes an elite passenger who picks corners.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Elite PP sniper with inconsistent 5v5 production. Much richer man's Mike Hoffman. He has more in his bag than Hoffman ever did, which gives him potential to hit 30 goals at an earlier age, but we will see if he can drive play at the pro level, or instead becomes an elite passenger who picks corners.

Penguin specific but I see shades of Bryan Rust. Average hands, average size, good not great speed, plays north-south, good on the backhand, very good shot when they get it off but release isn’t ridiculous. Attack downhill, not a lot of layers to their game

Yager has a better shot though

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Penguin specific but I see shades of Bryan Rust. Average hands, average size, good not great speed, plays north-south, good on the backhand, very good shot when they get it off but release isn’t ridiculous. Attack downhill, not a lot of layers to their game

Yager has a better shot though

Yager's release is different than most junior players, which gives him something unique. He can take a pass from in his skates to then get a shot off quite quickly.

 

[Peat]

Penguin specific but I see shades of Bryan Rust. Average hands, average size, good not great speed, plays north-south, good on the backhand, very good shot when they get it off but release isn’t ridiculous. Attack downhill, not a lot of layers to their game

Yager has a better shot though

Rust's not perimeter though. Which is why I lean to the McCann comparison more.

But in any case, feels like we're mostly in agreement of where he is and what happens next i.e. just about everything.