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

[bert]

Big fast and highly skilled d-man that has a nasty snarled edge to his game with a great shot. His knocks were iq and skating. He has solid enough iq, got questioned due to him basically abusing his skillset at the junior level essentially and his skating could be cleaned up with through training and heavy focus on edges and off ice training. He is a very unique prospect, unicorn defenseman with a very high ceiling but a lower floor. Burns is my high end comp and risto the low end comp however he put to rest my concerns with his iq and will at least be a positive impact physical bottom pairing d-man that could qb a pp. I could also seee him ending up a 20-30 goal d-man who loves to hit like a truck and can man/drive a breakout.

HIs hockey IQ might be his biggest strength, he reads the play incredibly well and the puck follows him around the ice. I watched him a bunch never understood how it was a negative, thats why he gets away with his skating because he is always around it. Defensively and his skating need work but for a raw big teenager those are both coachable. His skating will naturally get better as he gets stronger and matures. The sky is the limit with this player, RHD to boot.

 

[majormajor]

Big fast and highly skilled d-man that has a nasty snarled edge to his game with a great shot. His knocks were iq and skating. He has solid enough iq, got questioned due to him basically abusing his skillset at the junior level essentially and his skating could be cleaned up with through training and heavy focus on edges and off ice training. He is a very unique prospect, unicorn defenseman with a very high ceiling but a lower floor. Burns is my high end comp and risto the low end comp however he put to rest my concerns with his iq and will at least be a positive impact physical bottom pairing d-man that could qb a pp. I could also seee him ending up a 20-30 goal d-man who loves to hit like a truck and can man/drive a breakout.

His floor is above Risto. The passing, the vision, it's all high whereas Risto was low.