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

[Juxtaposer]

He could easily be playing in a better league. Junior is not his appropriate level.

If he was too good for juniors, he would be the best player in juniors, pouting or no pouting.

 

[Hale The Villain]

The premise that an offensive defenseman with defensive issues and only 49 points in 56 games is too good for junior and doesn't have anything to learn at that level is so laughable it does not even deserve a response.

 

[Boxscore]

I disagree on the skating component but generally agree with the rest of your post.

I mean, he's not Paul Coffey, but his skating doesn't look that shabby to me...

 

[TopC0rner]

The premise that an offensive defenseman with defensive issues and only 49 points in 56 games is too good for junior and doesn't have anything to learn at that level is so laughable it does not even deserve a response.

He does look disinterested compared to last year. I've been disappointed with his low engagement level this year. He has improved his gap control but offensively he would benefit from passing more.

 

[majormajor]

I disagree on the skating component but generally agree with the rest of your post.

I've watched him this year and last in the WHL, and I think Yakemchuk's feet are a bit heavy as of now by NHL standards, and that his elusiveness and acceleration need work especially.

If Yakemchuk fixes those deficiencies of his, and cleans-up his decision-making mostly in the defensive end, then I agree that he could be a very good NHL defenseman and might shine both offensively and defensively.

But I am much higher on Dickinson and Buium than I am on Yakemchuk, and I thought that the Sens overdrafted him for his handedness at the Draft, a view that hasn't changed almost 12 months later.

I haven't watched him since pre-season but it was clear to me then and all last season that Yakemchuk is extremely elusive, though that owes perhaps more to his deceptiveness than the quickness of the feet. You don't think such a big loafy guy would walk so many opponents but he does.

Funny enough there has been at times a very similar discussion about Buium, who people have said doesn't have the elusive skating to play the style he wants to play, but with his fast processor and his natural deceptiveness I figure he'll find a way to exploit opponents.

I would easily take both over Dickinson, who has all the skating gifts but none of the processing, and lacks deception, he's got less to offer versus tight defenses. There are NHL D that move as well as Dickinson and don't have a huge impact on the game.

I mean, he's not Paul Coffey, but his skating doesn't look that shabby to me...

It's the pivots to backskating that are clumsy. Going forward he is good.

 

[Sens in Process]

If he was too good for juniors, he would be the best player in juniors, pouting or no pouting.

I agree with your point, but I think some of his skill set is underutilized playing with Calgary. Calgary isn’t the most talented team. They’re top-line heavy, with with line 2 functioning as a glorified checking line, and it gets significantly worse from there. My point is that he doesn’t get many touches on the ice. Calgary is not a team that hangs on to pucks and make plays; they are more geared to going down-hill, getting on the fore-check and cycling down-low. They do score goals, but a lot of them come off turnovers and greasy plays around the net.

You can see this more broadly with the low offensive numbers from the defense as a whole. Mynio had a late hot streak that brought his numbers into a respectable range, but he’s still well below the stats he was posting in Seattle. If he had played with Calgary for the entire season, he would have been on a 55-point pace rather than the 71-point pace he was projected to get with Seattle. Kalem Parker's numbers also dropped off a bit since coming to Calgary.

So, not too good for juniors but i think his current context isn't the most favorable.

 

[NyQuil]

Bust.