Ottawa Senators select Carter Yakemchuk No. 7 overall in 2024 NHL Draft

This is the year of the defensemen at the NHL Draft. And another top-tier blueliner has come off the draft board. 

On Friday at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the Ottawa Senators took right-handed defender Carter Yakemchuk in the first round, No. 7 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. 

Yakemchuk led all Western Hockey League defensemen with 30 goals in 66 games last season. The 6-foot-3 Alberta native finished the season with 71 points, fifth among all WHL defensemen. That was a huge improvement from the 47-point season he had in 2022-23 for the Calgary Hitmen.

“I think it was just the fact that he’s a year older, more experienced and more confident,” Calgary general manager Garry Davidson told NHL.com. “He played with huge offensive confidence, no question about that. He also wowed us all on many occasions with some of the plays he made offensively. Development is always an interesting thing. You just never know how big a step a player is going to take from one year to another, and certainly he took a huge step.”

Yakemchuk also represented Canada on the international stage for the first time at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Junior Championships, where he did not register a point in seven games. 

Yakemchuk was ranked sixth among defensemen and 13th overall by Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis. 

“With 30 goals, 71 points and 120 penalty minutes in 66 games, it was hard not to notice Yakemchuk this year,” Ellis wrote in his final draft prospect rankings. “That’s the type of stat line you’d expect from a power forward – instead, it’s a third-year defenseman that exceeded all expectations this year. Defensively, though, I still need to see more improvement. His decision-making under pressure leaves a bit to be desired, but the potential is high here. With some seasoning, Yakemchuk could be a high-output defender in the NHL.”