‘He’s the last player I’d want to go 1-on-1 with’: 2024 NHL Draft’s Carter Yakemchuk mixes skill and violence

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
‘He’s the last player I’d want to go 1-on-1 with’: 2024 NHL Draft’s Carter Yakemchuk mixes skill and violence
Credit: (Photo by Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Since the start of the 21st century, only one 18-year-old defenseman has scored 30 goals in a WHL season.

Carter Yakemchuk. That’s it.

In fact, try finding a stat line as unique as Yakemchuk’s. He had 30 goals, 71 points and 121 penalty minutes while doing so much heavy lifting as a third-year blueliner with the Calgary Hitmen. It wasn’t the most productive season for a CHL defender. Zayne Parekh had 96 points, but you won’t see anyone else scoring 30 goals while sitting in the box as often as Yakemchuk does.

Given the Hitmen struggled from the get-go, it was great to see Yakemchuk have such a huge presence and find a way to steal the spotlight.

“He’s the last player I’d want to go 1-on-1 with,” a scout said. “He’s menacing. He’ll kill you at both ends. He’s the guy every team wants, but nobody wants to play against.”

After starting the year projected to go late in the first round, Yakemchuk has made it as high as top five on the draft boards of some NHL teams. They love his size, shot, offensive prowess and physicality. He’s one of the best puckhandling defenders in this class, bringing back vibes of peak Brent Burns – but with more teeth and no beard.

At 6-foot-3 and just under 200 pounds, Yakemchuk is the ideal size for a modern-day, puck-moving defenseman. He uses his strength to put a ton of power behind his shot, and his physical play is among the most notable of any defender in this draft class. There are already a few bigger defenders expected to go high this year – namely Anton Silayev (6-foot-3) and Sam Dickinson (6-foot-3) – but Yakemchuk has the advantage in terms of shot quality and offensive creativity.

“He’s the silkiest guy I’ve seen,” said Berkly Catton, another projected first-round pick in 2024. “He almost plays like a smaller guy, but he is a big guy. He’s always a threat, especially in the offensive zone.”

Yakemchuk said he grew up always playing defense, but he liked watching forwards the most. While he keeps a close eye now on Evan Bouchard – and you can see similarities in how they distribute and shoot the puck from the point – he liked watching Jordan Eberle growing up as an Edmonton Oilers fan living in Calgary.

The 18-year-old has excellent hands that allow him to dangle like a smaller, goal-scoring winger. It results in a high number of highlight-reel goals, maybe more than any defenseman in recent years. And with a high-powered, accurate shot release, he keeps goaltenders guessing consistently. Seriously, he’s a fourth forward out there.

That offensive mindset has proven valuable for Yakemchuk, especially as he tries to work out the kinks in his game. Away from the puck, Yakemchuk is still far from being an elite option for this draft, and it’s why he’s not mentioned often in the same breath as some of the other high-end blueliners available. His play reads can be questionable, and his positioning can be predictable for a skilled opponent to take advantage of.

And then there’s the skating. He’s always moving and trying to make things happen, but his footwork isn’t explosive by any means and he doesn’t have the top speed to catch up in a puck race. His pivots feel laggy, and if the play devolves from straight-line action, he struggles to get himself where he needs to go.

“He’s so focused on the puck all the time, which can be great at one end of the ice,” a scout said. “But he needs much better positioning around his own net to make himself an effective, two-way option. You can’t be a defenseman with your weakest link being your defensive play.”

Many think Yakemchuk’s pure skill and size will ensure he becomes a serviceable NHLer. But until he can establish better defensive reads and add more speed and mobility into his step, he’ll need to do a bit more to take his game up a notch.

“He’s boom-bust,” another scout said. “If he plays to his strengths, he’s going to be a game-changer. But he’s not going to have the same time and space to dangle guys in the NHL, and if that goes away, all he has is size. The other elements need refining.”

So, there you go. A high-end puck mover with a great shot and excellent hands. But Yakemchuk is a defenseman, and the most important elements of a blueliner still need significant work. The good thing is he’s only 18 and still so raw, and the right coaching can fix that and make him a more complete threat.

For now, Yakemchuk has time on his side, and his biggest selling points make him extremely attractive to teams looking for a high-impact option on draft day. If he’s able to overcome the flaws, Yakemchuk has the potential to stand out in a year flush with top-four talent.

In the meantime, he’ll stick to terrorizing the WHL.

Get prepared for the 2024 NHL Draft with Daily Faceoff’s guide, featuring interviews, features, lists, scouting reports, rankings and much more.

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