SENSNEWS

The Ottawa Senators have selected Carter Yakemchuk 7th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Yakemchuk instantly becomes the team’s top prospect and is poised to have a bright future in the NHL.

Ottawa Senators Draft Carter Yakemchuk

The WHL right-shot defender finished this season with 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points in just 66 games with the Calgary Hitmen.

Yakemchuk is a premium offensive defender who is highly skilled with the puck on his stick.

Carter Yakemchuk finished second on the Hitmen in scoring this season, behind only Oliver Tulk. The Hitmen missed the playoffs, but in my opinion, that only makes Yakemchuk’s season more impressive.

The Senators have stated before that they are building the team around Brady Tkachuk. I truly believe that statement played a significant role in the decision-making process of selecting Yakemchuk with the seventh pick.

Carter Yakemchuk is the defensive version of Brady Tkachuk. He is an explosive defender with a high level of skill, but he also has a very nasty side to him—something that Senators fans will absolutely love.

Standing at 6’3” and 203 lbs, Yakemchuk has already done a great job of filling out his frame. He has the size to play in the NHL, and watching him play, it is clear he won’t shy away from the nastiness that winning teams need.

In 66 games, Yakemchuk had 120 penalty minutes. While there were a fair share of stick infractions, there were also a lot of roughing and general nasty-natured penalties.

So let’s dive into detail to find out what exactly makes Yakemchuk such a special defender. His blend of skill, size, and physicality will have fans feeling very, very excited.

Carter Yakemchuk Player Breakdown

Where Yakemchuk really excels is in the offensive zone. He is incredibly creative for a defender and has the skill to match up with some of the best forwards in the draft class.

Scoring 30 goals in junior is no joke, especially for a draft-eligible defender. But perhaps the most eye-opening aspect of Yakemchuk’s goals is the way he scores them.

On numerous occasions, Yakemchuk would attack defenders one-on-one. We see players like Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson do this all the time, but it isn’t every day that you find a defender making plays of this nature.

Just check out this highlight reel of Yakemchuk this season in the WHL. He’s like Zayne Parekh in terms of his creativity; however, he does it while standing at 6’3” and weighing over 200 lbs.

Yakemchuk’s hands are what allow him to be so creative. He has silky smooth mitts, enabling him to navigate around the offensive zone to either create for himself or set his teammates up with great opportunities.

His shot is another strength of Yakemchuk. He has a powerful wrist shot that can beat goaltenders from far out. It’s also worth noting that he isn’t afraid to use his shot either, unlike some defenders who hold off.

Regarding his skating, Yakemchuk uses his size to shield off opponents while gliding. His stride is strong, allowing him to reach a solid top speed.

He isn’t the fastest in this draft class, but for a 6’3” defender who weighs 203 lbs, he is definitely above average.

One of the issues with the Senators’ blue line is that they don’t have many players capable of attacking the net in the offensive zone.

Yakemchuk has no issues with this. As you can see in the video above, he absolutely loves to rush the goaltenders.

Outside of the offense, Yakemchuk is a brutal defender to match up against physically. He loves to seek out big hits and is known for crushing forwards with their heads down.

In this sense, he is somewhat similar to Senators’ prospect Tyler Kleven. Probably not to the same extent as Kleven, but the comparisons are definitely there.

He is also physical in front of his own net, an area where the Senators struggled this season.

His defensive game will need some work, but the good news is that he has the tools to improve in this area. His size and skating ability ensure that Yakemchuk can be taught a more responsible two-way game.

I have no doubt that the Senators’ coaching and player development staff will be able to build this area of his game. With a responsible defensive partner, Yakemchuk will thrive at the NHL level.

He will be back in Calgary for the upcoming season. He should be one of, if not the best, defenders in the WHL. Also, keep an eye out for him to make Team Canada’s World Junior squad for the 2025 tournament.

It’s obviously way too early to tell, but I expect the Fort McMurray native to become a top-pair caliber defender with the Senators. He should be able to rack up points on the power play in the future as well.

If he is able to develop his defensive game further, Yakemchuk will be the team’s second-best defender behind Jake Sanderson.

With Yakemchuk, Zub, Sanderson, and Chabot, the Senators’ top four is beginning to take shape for the next several seasons.

Welcome to Ottawa, Carter Yakemchuk!