RD Carter Yakemchuk - Calgary Hitmen, WHL (2024, 7th, OTT)

[TopC0rner]

He has no top speed issue. He does have great lateral mobility once he's in motion. You really shouldn't ignore the first three steps back though, that's really the entire skating issue defensively. Focus on that.

I agree, but having watched many games involving Yakemchuk, it doesn't come into play often. The majority of the time, he is already skating backward and has reached a good enough speed.

In the games that I've seen, I noted one time he got burned on turning backward (by Conor Geekie) which resulted in a goal. However, he doesn't get caught like that regularly. I would be alarmed if he got burned every game, but that's not the case at all.

 

[TopC0rner]

Dave Poulin (Sens Senior Vice-President of Hockey Operations) was asked on Ottawa radio to talk about Yakemchuk post draft and the first thing he brought up was elite skating for his size (called him one of the elite skaters in the draft).

Everything else he/Staois have said seem to match what I've read in this thread and through the various scouting reports, but that caught me off guard as skating is something that has been specifically pointed to as a weakness in his game.

Not sure why there seems to be a such discrepancy between Sens management view and what is/has been posted here and elsewhere, but it does make sense why he was their pick at #7 if they like his skating on top of everything else he brings to the table.

I watch a bit more than 200 junior games yearly, and overall I had his skating as a positive.
I'm not the only one.

Upside Hockey has "Yak's skating is slightly above average, but might be considered fairly good for a player who measures 6'3", and 194lbs- he could stand to work on his first-step quickness, and explosiveness. His edgework and agility are excellent though, giving him good escapability."

The Hockey Writers have "Yakemchuk isn’t the most agile skater, but his top speed is solid and that when combined with his reach, makes him a solid rush defender, even when he over-commits in the offensive zone."

Another non public scouting (PM me if you want to know which one) has him 11 in their list of "Best pure skaters" and reports "Has elite offensive instincts, and combined with his top-notch skating, puck skills, and lethal point shot, he's exceptionally dangerous whenever he has possession" and "Generates tremendous speed when he winds up through the neutral zone".

Corey Pronman, who's a tough skating critic, writes "That he skates well and can attack with his skill makes him so difficult to stop as he often dances by checkers. His skating stride isn’t technically perfect. It can break down at times with his legs starting to flail at the end of shifts, but it’s a powerful stride and he often pulls away from pressure. "

Eliteprospects is more critical: "a skating stride that lacks depth, explosiveness, or agility, a limiting factor in the offensive zone and one that opponents can and routinely did exploit in the defensive zone"

From my views, I would side with the more positive assessment of his skating ability. In most game, you will see him use his top speed and his lateral movement to his advantage multiple times, generating offensive opportunities. The number of times his skating puts him in trouble defensively are a low count compared to where it shines offensively, from my viewings, and most of the time he uses his good stickwork and long arms to make up for it and neutralize the opponent. So, I can understand how some see the good and some see the bad in his skating.

 

[StutzlesNumber1Fan]

At first I wasn't a fan but man I do believe this was the right pick. Yakem looked great in the development camp yesterday.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Because they passed on Parekh to take him.

It’s tough to sell “better Dion Phaneuf” when the other guy compares favourably to Erik Karlsson.

Especially to a fanbase that already had Erik Karlsson.

Don’t get me wrong - Dion Phaneuf before his hip fracture was a helluva player, and if Yakemchuk can avoid major leg injuries that rob him of his explosiveness, he should be a fine player.

Staios is getting a Christmas card from me this year, I can tell you that much.

Parekh doesn’t compare favorably to Karlsson. Maybe to Tony DeAngelo.

 

[57special]

A duo of Kleven and Yakemchuk might be a bit clunky, but they would sure bring some size and nastiness, and Yak is really good with the puck.

 

[Samsquanch]

Parekh doesn’t compare favorably to Karlsson. Maybe to Tony DeAngelo.

People seem to forget that young Karlsson was much stronger and way more willing to mix it up than whatever the hell he is today. Much stronger than his size would indicate for sure, just one of those guys.

But point being is that he was very "robust" despite his stature. Krornwall was his NHL comparable because they both loved throwing big open ice hits. A prime Karlsson was able to physically match up against a brute force beast like Ovechkin and shut him down physically with timing and precision (the hard counter to raw speed and power). And then score the GWG after he was done with that.

Im glad the Sens passed on Parekh because he is not the next Karlsson, and there is no #1 potential in him. Imo. That takes a special kind of light weight dman. He wont be a playoff hero, even if puts up decent numbers in the regular season on a weak team someday - which is certainly a real possibility for him, no arguments there.

The NHL is again transitioning back away from smaller skilled players and more towards athletically gifted all around players. Especially Dmen. Size, strength and athleticism rule the day again, and they will outdo skill unless all other things are relatively equal.

 

[Bounces R Way]

The NHL is again transitioning back away from smaller skilled players and more towards athletically gifted all around players. Especially Dmen. Size, strength and athleticism rule the day again, and they will outdo skill unless all other things are relatively equal.

The Norris winner this season is 5'10 and 180lbs. The Norris winner last year 'whatever he is today' was 6'0 and 190. Year before? 5'11 187. How about the year before that? 5'11 182. You really couldn't be any more wrong.

Size and strength
Skating and IQ rules the day

I like Yakemchuk plenty myself but those are not his strong suits.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

The Norris winner this season is 5'10 and 180lbs. The Norris winner last year 'whatever he is today' was 6'0 and 190. Year before? 5'11 187. How about the year before that? 5'11 182. You really couldn't be any more wrong.

Size and strength
Skating and IQ rules the day

I like Yakemchuk plenty myself but those are not his strong suits.

I genuinely don’t know why people automatically go with the big d-man narrative. There was nothing menacing about Florida’s d-corps.

 

[HighLifeManIsHigh]

I genuinely don’t know why people automatically go with the big d-man narrative. There was nothing menacing about Florida’s d-corps.

Samsquanch is coping. Yak has so many holes in his game

 

[Trojans86]

I watch a bit more than 200 junior games yearly, and overall I had his skating as a positive.
I'm not the only one.

Upside Hockey has "Yak's skating is slightly above average, but might be considered fairly good for a player who measures 6'3", and 194lbs- he could stand to work on his first-step quickness, and explosiveness. His edgework and agility are excellent though, giving him good escapability."

The Hockey Writers have "Yakemchuk isn’t the most agile skater, but his top speed is solid and that when combined with his reach, makes him a solid rush defender, even when he over-commits in the offensive zone."

Another non public scouting (PM me if you want to know which one) has him 11 in their list of "Best pure skaters" and reports "Has elite offensive instincts, and combined with his top-notch skating, puck skills, and lethal point shot, he's exceptionally dangerous whenever he has possession" and "Generates tremendous speed when he winds up through the neutral zone".

Corey Pronman, who's a tough skating critic, writes "That he skates well and can attack with his skill makes him so difficult to stop as he often dances by checkers. His skating stride isn’t technically perfect. It can break down at times with his legs starting to flail at the end of shifts, but it’s a powerful stride and he often pulls away from pressure. "

Eliteprospects is more critical: "a skating stride that lacks depth, explosiveness, or agility, a limiting factor in the offensive zone and one that opponents can and routinely did exploit in the defensive zone"

From my views, I would side with the more positive assessment of his skating ability. In most game, you will see him use his top speed and his lateral movement to his advantage multiple times, generating offensive opportunities. The number of times his skating puts him in trouble defensively are a low count compared to where it shines offensively, from my viewings, and most of the time he uses his good stickwork and long arms to make up for it and neutralize the opponent. So, I can understand how some see the good and some see the bad in his skating.

Agreed. In regards to elite prospects, Skating depth is becoming an antiquated measure. Skating with a good lean is the much more modern approach. I was a big fan of his.

 

[DJB]

He needs to mostly work on his decision making when he doesn’t have the puck. He tends to just leave his spot on the blue line and creep down into the corner and gets himself caught too deep. He also at times is not positional in his own zone.

Thankfully both of those can be taught .

 

[Sens in Process]

He needs to mostly work on his decision making when he doesn’t have the puck. He tends to just leave his spot on the blue line and creep down into the corner and gets himself caught too deep. He also at times is not positional in his own zone.

Thankfully both of those can be taught .

Calgary will have an entire new coaching staff. And while his team is not oozing with talent, the team will become much more competitive and offensively competent just by virtue of its internal growth. Calgary was one of the youngest teams in the WHL last season. Hopefully, with better structure and more mature talent around him, Yakemchuk will play more measured game and not feel compelled to do it all by himself.

There is a polarized split surrounding his decision making. And having watched a lot of his games, I think his "bad decisions" were mostly context driven. He had to take risks; the team was young, and offensively challenged, while he was by far the most gifted talented player on the team. The coaches let him loose, rightly or wrongly, because they must of felt it was the only viable way to win.

If by hockey sense, we mean the player will more often than not choose the most "optimal" and efficient option, I can see why some scouting orgs. like hockeyprospects are a bit leery on the player. However, I would argue that, for Yakemchuk, the best option in many cases was to go cowboy and not defer to players who were far less capable and continually had plays die on their sticks.

But if by hockey sense, we mean creativity, anticipation and instincts, I believe Yakemchuk is very underrated by some in these categories. I think he commands the offensive zone and has real presence that will translate nicely to the NHL. He is always a threat to make a play that will make you take notice(in a good way).

 

[DJB]

Calgary will have an entire new coaching staff. And while his team is not oozing with talent, the team will become much more competitive and offensively competent just by virtue of its internal growth. Calgary was one of the youngest teams in the WHL last season. Hopefully, with better structure and more mature talent around him, Yakemchuk will play more measured game and not feel compelled to do it all by himself.

There is a polarized split surrounding his decision making. And having watched a lot of his games, I think his "bad decisions" were mostly context driven. He had to take risks; the team was young, and offensively challenged, while he was by far the most gifted talented player on the team. The coaches let him loose, rightly or wrongly, because they must of felt it was the only viable way to win.

If by hockey sense, we mean the player will more often than not choose the most "optimal" and efficient option, I can see why some scouting orgs. like hockeyprospects are a bit leery on the player. However, I would argue that, for Yakemchuk, the best option in many cases was to go cowboy and not defer to players who were far less capable and continually had plays die on their sticks.

But if by hockey sense, we mean creativity, anticipation and instincts, I believe Yakemchuk is very underrated by some in these categories. I think he commands the offensive zone and has real presence that will translate nicely to the NHL. He is always a threat to make a play that will make you take notice(in a good way).

The cowboy statement is pretty bang on however I did see the exact same issues at the top prospects game.

The kid is going to be fine. Hes no doubt going to be a top 4 guy but it’s to be seen if he is a top pairing guy and how his offensive and defensive game progresses.

 

[Juxtaposer]

The cowboy statement is pretty bang on however I did see the exact same issues at the top prospects game.

The kid is going to be fine. Hes no doubt going to be a top 4 guy but it’s to be seen if he is a top pairing guy and how his offensive and defensive game progresses.

Yakemchuk has huge boom potential and huge bust potential as well. There’s plenty of doubt he’ll be a top-4 D. And he could easily outright bust. What a weird take.

 

[DJB]

Yakemchuk has huge boom potential and huge bust potential as well. There’s plenty of doubt he’ll be a top-4 D. And he could easily outright bust. What a weird take.

I look at Codi Ceci as his floor. Similar player with all the tools but no toolbox and he’s a top 4 dman or has been most of his career. I think Yakemchuk is far better offensively than Ceci at the same age , he’s much larger and more physical and their skating isn’t too far off from each other. Both possess a bomb from the point (although Ceci never seems to get it off)

I think Yakemchuk is pretty safe to be a top 4 guy and if that’s a “weird take “ then so be it

 

[57special]

I was hoping that MN would get a crack at him at #13. It turned out that they got Buium instead, which is great, but i would've been just as happy with Yak. Different type of player, but a big, mean, RHD with hands and 1st pairing upside is a pretty nice package for just about any team. If he ends up being a 2nd pairing(though this is old thinking, many teams break up their best Dmen)guy for the next ten years who mans the #2 PP then the Sens have done fine.

If he ends up being a 3rd pairing guy playing only 13-14 minutes/night, then he will be a disappointment.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I look at Codi Ceci as his floor. Similar player with all the tools but no toolbox and he’s a top 4 dman or has been most of his career. I think Yakemchuk is far better offensively than Ceci at the same age , he’s much larger and more physical and their skating isn’t too far off from each other. Both possess a bomb from the point (although Ceci never seems to get it off)

I think Yakemchuk is pretty safe to be a top 4 guy and if that’s a “weird take “ then so be it

The problem is that Yakemchuk doesn’t have elite tools. His agility, acceleration, and backwards skating are below average and he’s just not a pure athlete. That’s what makes him a bust risk, he has to overcome both physical and mental hurdles just to be Cody Ceci.

Sam Dickinson is an example of someone who actually has a middle pairing floor because of elite physical tools despite having similar hockey IQ questions as Yakemchuk.

 

[NyQuil]

The problem is that Yakemchuk doesn’t have elite tools. His agility, acceleration, and backwards skating are below average and he’s just not a pure athlete. That’s what makes him a bust risk, he has to overcome both physical and mental hurdles just to be Cody Ceci.

You're saying that Cody Ceci has better tools than Carter Yakemchuk?

Ceci was sort of mediocre at everything.

 

[Hale The Villain]

You're saying that Cody Ceci has better tools than Carter Yakemchuk?

Depends on how you define tools.

I usually seperate tools from skill and IQ by defining it as physical attributes like size, speed and strength.

Ceci has fantastic tools. Dude is built like a linebacker with massive shoulders, and is a strong skater.

His problem has always been that he can't think. IQ is noticeably below average.

Yakemchuk is also big and strong but his skating isn't nearly as good, so I'd consider his tools to be worse.

Tools aren't everything though. Yakemchuk has significantly better hands and while I don't consider him a smart hockey player he's certainly smarter than Ceci.

Still people forget that Ceci was once considered more of an offensive D. Had the most points of any draft eligible D when he was taken in 2012. His tools, hard shot and decent skill (compared to CHLers at least) helped him put up good numbers in junior, but his offense failed to translate once he was no longer able to pound pucks past unscreened CHL goalies on a regular basis and it became obvious his playmaking ability wasn't up to #1 PP QB standards at the NHL level.

Yakemchuk has some similar concerns in that regard. I think he'll need to change his game to be more of a tough physical two-way D, because the offense isn't guaranteed to translate.

 

[the paisanos guy]

Size, strength and athleticism rule the day again, and they will outdo skill unless all other things are relatively equal.

Ya as demonstrated by Darnell Nurse these playoffs

 

[Juxtaposer]

You're saying that Cody Ceci has better tools than Carter Yakemchuk?

Ceci was sort of mediocre at everything.

Yakemchuk has some elite tools (size, shot, physicality, hands) and one glaring poor tool (all aspects of skating other than straight line speed) along with the fact that he’s not really a naturally elite athlete—that’s where it becomes interesting to compare him to Dickinson. Despite being the same height/weight and almost a year older than Dickinson, Yakemchuk consistently has poor physical testing results both on and off the ice. You could argue that he would improve on that with gym time but my counter to that would be, why hasn’t he improved that with gym time? It’s not like he doesn’t have the same access that Dickinson does.

Ceci is definitely a better skater than Yakemchuk, but I also personally wouldn’t bring Ceci into this conversation at all since I don’t actually think he is or ever has been a legit top-4 defenseman, nor does he have any elite tool like Yakemchuk does. Yakemchuk has really good offensive instincts and while not elite, I would say he’s a smart offensive player, and as mentioned earlier in this thread I think some of the ‘puck hog’ behavior I’ve seen from him can be explained by his poor quality of teammates being worse options than just taking the puck himself. The hockey IQ issues I see with Yakemchuk are more like forcing outlet passes to teammates who are already covered, turnovers on breakouts, making bad pinches, allowing himself to be baited out of proper defensive position, that sort of thing. That’s where the Ceci comp has some legs IMO.

I believe in high end upside for Yakemchuk because I truly believe that having a couple elite tools can overcome weakness in other areas. But I also see the bust potential if his skating/athleticism don’t improve significantly and/or his offensive game doesn’t translate at an elite level.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Yakemchuk has some elite tools (size, shot, physicality, hands) and one glaring poor tool (all aspects of skating other than straight line speed) along with the fact that he’s not really a naturally elite athlete—that’s where it becomes interesting to compare him to Dickinson. Despite being the same height/weight and almost a year older than Dickinson, Yakemchuk consistently has poor physical testing results both on and off the ice. You could argue that he would improve on that with gym time but my counter to that would be, why hasn’t he improved that with gym time? It’s not like he doesn’t have the same access that Dickinson does.

Ceci is definitely a better skater than Yakemchuk, but I also personally wouldn’t bring Ceci into this conversation at all since I don’t actually think he is or ever has been a legit top-4 defenseman, nor does he have any elite tool like Yakemchuk does. Yakemchuk has really good offensive instincts and while not elite, I would say he’s a smart offensive player, and as mentioned earlier in this thread I think some of the ‘puck hog’ behavior I’ve seen from him can be explained by his poor quality of teammates being worse options than just taking the puck himself. The hockey IQ issues I see with Yakemchuk are more like forcing outlet passes to teammates who are already covered, turnovers on breakouts, making bad pinches, allowing himself to be baited out of proper defensive position, that sort of thing. That’s where the Ceci comp has some legs IMO.

I believe in high end upside for Yakemchuk because I truly believe that having a couple elite tools can overcome weakness in other areas. But I also see the bust potential if his skating/athleticism don’t improve significantly and/or his offensive game doesn’t translate at an elite level.

Yet 10 teams past on Dickie, he was the 5th D taken. So team scouts and GMs preferred other D first.
Dick was taken 3D after Yak, so lots of different opinions, just like before draft.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Yet 10 teams past on Dickie, he was the 5th D taken. So team scouts and GMs preferred other D first.
Dick was taken 3D after Yak, so lots of different opinions, just like before draft.

Well, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the three RHD were all selected before the three LHD. If the Sens wanted a big RHD and didn’t care about floor, I totally get why Yakemchuk was selected before Parekh and the LHD. Ten teams passed on Buium too, and I don’t think that was smart either.

I also truly think Yakemchuk’s ceiling is the highest. I just think the likelihood of him reaching that ceiling is really low. I don’t think Dickinson has true #1D potential, and I do think there’s a very remote chance that Yakemchuk can be a true #1D.

The margin between the six top D in this draft was razor thin and I think their selections came down to stylistic preferences more than anything. The big two-way RHD went first. The other big RHD went second. The last RHD, smaller but very skilled, went third. The LHD then went in order of tallest to smallest.

With regards to Dickinson, I was a detractor of taking him top-5, but I am naturally thrilled to have gotten him at 11.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Parekh doesn’t compare favorably to Karlsson. Maybe to Tony DeAngelo.

Might be the worst post I’ve read on this forum since “Khudobin is going to have a better career than Price.”

 

[majormajor]

The problem is that Yakemchuk doesn’t have elite tools. His agility, acceleration, and backwards skating are below average and he’s just not a pure athlete. That’s what makes him a bust risk, he has to overcome both physical and mental hurdles just to be Cody Ceci.

Sam Dickinson is an example of someone who actually has a middle pairing floor because of elite physical tools despite having similar hockey IQ questions as Yakemchuk.

Depends on how you define tools.

I usually seperate tools from skill and IQ by defining it as physical attributes like size, speed and strength.

Ceci has fantastic tools. Dude is built like a linebacker with massive shoulders, and is a strong skater.

His problem has always been that he can't think. IQ is noticeably below average.

Yakemchuk is also big and strong but his skating isn't nearly as good, so I'd consider his tools to be worse.

Tools aren't everything though. Yakemchuk has significantly better hands and while I don't consider him a smart hockey player he's certainly smarter than Ceci.

Still people forget that Ceci was once considered more of an offensive D. Had the most points of any draft eligible D when he was taken in 2012. His tools, hard shot and decent skill (compared to CHLers at least) helped him put up good numbers in junior, but his offense failed to translate once he was no longer able to pound pucks past unscreened CHL goalies on a regular basis and it became obvious his playmaking ability wasn't up to #1 PP QB standards at the NHL level.

Yakemchuk has some similar concerns in that regard. I think he'll need to change his game to be more of a tough physical two-way D, because the offense isn't guaranteed to translate.

If you guys are taking puck skills (handling, shooting, etc..) out of the tools category than we're going to have a lot of confusing conversations about tools.