The Ottawa Senators announced that they have returned defenseman Carter Yakemchuk to the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The expectation throughout the entire offseason was that this would be the right move, but after an impressive preseason, he made a case for keeping him at the NHL level.
Yakemchuk, who just turned 19 years old, was selected seventh overall by the Senators in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, and while his size, physicality, and offense were things that were certainly strong assets, he is pretty raw on the defensive side of the game.
Entering the NHL’s preseason, it was a fair expectation that Yakemchuk would play two or three games and be sent to the WHL for the start of the season, but after a dominant first few games, he stuck around right up to the end. With two impressive goals, brilliant puck movement, and a surprisingly responsible defensive game, Yakemchuk was starting the conversation of whether or not he should get a nine-game NHL trial, or even stick around for the season.
Related: Senators Must Return Carter Yakemchuk to WHL
Yakemchuk finished the preseason with two goals and seven points, which had him tied for sixth in league scoring in just four of the Senators’ seven games.
TSN’s Claire Hanna reported that Steve Staios made the following statement:
“Carter had a tremendous training camp, but we made this decision in the best interests of his long-term development. We had a healthy conversation with Carter this morning and we expressed that we have a plan for his development that will allow him to thrive once he arrives in the NHL on a full-time basis. We are excited to watch his growth and trajectory in Calgary this season.”
Going back to the WHL is best for his development as Yakemchuk will be able to dominate offensively, continue working on his defensive decision-making, and hopefully take a trip back to Ottawa for the 2025 World Junior Championship representing Team Canada.
Last season in the WHL, Yakemchuk recorded an impressive 30 goals and 77 points in 61 games and will look to build on that as the top defender on the team for the 2024-25 season.
After his showing this preseason, it is fair to expect that Yakemchuk will make a serious push for a full-time NHL spot next season, and if he continues to show great defensive awareness development, he should have no problem making the transition to the NHL’s pace. At the very least, he will be eligible to play in the American Hockey League and get some playing time with them as a stop-gap between the WHL and NHL’s pace of play.
Defensemen like Yakemchuk usually take an extra season of development, but with the skills he had shown during the preseason, he has made a case for himself as one of the better defensemen in the NHL’s prospect group.
