After winning the inaugural honour and then again for the week of Oct. 22-27, Carter Yakemchuk takes home his third Prospect of the Week for his performance from Dec. 9-15. In two games with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Calgary Hitmen, he scored twice, including a game-winner, and added an assist for a three-point week. While it wasn’t his most productive outing, Yakemchuk’s two goals set a new Hitmen franchise record for the most goals by a defenceman.
Yakemchuk’s Record-Setting Efforts
Yakemchuk is no stranger to setting records. Last season, he cemented himself as one of Calgary’s best offensive defencemen with 30 goals in 66 games, the highest single-season total from any blueliner since the team joined the WHL in 1994-95. His effort was enough to make him the seventh overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft by the Ottawa Senators, following in the footsteps of the previous record holder, Jake Bean, who was selected 13th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2016 immediately after his record-setting performance. He also finished the season with 53 career goals, surpassing Michael Stone’s 52 goals to take over second place among all Hitmen defenders.
But 2023-24 was just the start for Yakemchuk. This season, he surged to nine goals in 18 games, putting him just one goal shy of the franchise record of 63 goals, set by Matt Kinch in 2000-01. It took three games to finally tie it with a game-tying goal against the Saskatoon Blades on Dec. 7, during which he added two more assists, helping the Hitmen overtake the second-place team in the Eastern Conference 5-4 in overtime.
But with the record in sight, Yakemchuk took off. On Dec. 13, the Hitmen’s very next game, he scored the game-winner against the Kamloops Blazers in overtime with a sneaky move to get in close to the net and not only give Calgary the win but also claim the record for himself. Another goal on Dec. 15 extended his goal streak to three games.
The record setting goal 🚨 pic.twitter.com/iQUoMIyytM
— Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) December 14, 2024
Of course, the season isn’t even half over, which gives Yakemchuk a lot of runway to knock over even more records. He now sits sixth all-time among Hitmen defenders with 160 career points and is on pace to score 32 goals and 77 points this season. Hitting that would not only give him an iron grip on first place in goals but also would put him comfortably in second place in points with 208, less than 100 points away from Calgary’s all-time leader.
But that’s not all. If Yakemchuk sets a new personal best with 32 goals this season, he’ll have 85 career goals. That’s more than Ian White, Kris Russell, and Darryl Sydor, all of whom went on to have very successful NHL careers, and would make him the seventh-best goal-scoring defenceman in WHL history.
It’s possible that Yakemchuk will join the professional ranks in 2025-26. After all, he was one of the last cuts at the Senators’ training camp in September, and Ottawa desperately needs a strong right-shot defenceman. But if he stays in the WHL for his 20-year-old season to work on his all-around game without the pressure of the American Hockey League (AHL), he could add to his title count.
With a conservative estimate of 35 goals and 80 points, both of which would be career highs, he could climb to third all-time in defencemen scoring, with second place within striking distance, and the eighth-highest total among WHL defencemen. While hitting Kinch’s total of 306 points would still be just out of reach, Yakemchuk would easily ascend to fourth in franchise history. That would make him a shoo-in for the 2026 World Juniors after a surprising omission from Team Canada’s camp this year.
Senators Prospects Honourable Mentions & Check-Ins
Stephen Halliday has been streaky this season, but last week, the AHL rookie had a bounce-back week, putting up two goals and five points in three games and was named the game’s second star on Dec. 11 against the Syracuse Crunch after scoring the game-winner. The following contest, on Dec. 14, he put up three assists, two of which were primary, but the Belleville Senators were thrashed by the Rochester Americans 7-4 to overshadow his efforts. The next game went even worse, with the Americans taking home an 8-2 victory, but Halliday was back on the scoresheet with an assist on Cole Reinhardt’s goal.
Related: Ottawa Senators Prospect of the Week – Javon Moore
Donovan Sebrango was also impressive last week, scoring three points in three games for Belleville and was named the first star following a goal and assist against the Crunch on Dec. 11. One of the last remaining pieces of the underwhelming Alex DeBrincat trade, he’s been steadily moving up the depth chart this season and now has 10 points in 19 games, the best AHL totals of his career.
Lastly, Leevi Merilainen has firmly established himself as the Senators’ third-best goalie after yet another strong week, adding another win to his 7-2-2 record and bailing out Mads Sogaard against the Americans on Dec. 14 after the Great Dane allowed five goals on 21 shots. However, it wasn’t a perfect week. The very next day, Merilainen was bailed out by Sogaard after allowing five goals on 22 shots. Still, with Anton Forsberg injured, Merilainen will join Ottawa on their nine-game road trip and could start a game or two while starter Linus Ullmark, who’s been excellent lately, rests up.
Tune in next week to see which prospect stood above the rest.
