Last season, Carter Yakemchuk was a sensation at the Ottawa Senators’ training camp, leading the team with seven points in four games and making a strong case to, at least, start the season in the NHL. In the end, the Senators returned him to junior with the hope that he would continue to iron out some of the rawness in his game.
That proved to be the right call. Although his point totals dipped, his overall game improved, leading to plenty of excitement for his professional debut this season. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait a little longer to make his NHL debut. On Oct. 6, the Senators announced their final roster, sending Yakemchuk to the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) along with Hayden Hodgson, Lassi Thomson, Jan Jenik, Arthur Kaliyev, and Mads Sogaard.
Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, and Zeev Buium were all taken after the Senators selected their defenceman seventh overall in 2024 and are set to start the season in the NHL, while Yakemchuk’s demotion might seem worrisome. But, ever since Steve Staios was handed the reins as general manager, Ottawa has remained committed to patience with its prospects. Starting Yakemchuk in the minors was the right call and will only lead to a better product in the long term.
Senators Preaching Patience with Yakemchuk
Staios emphasized his focus on the future when asked about his decision to return Yakemchuk to the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 2024-25 season. “Carter had a tremendous training camp, but we made this decision in the best interests of his long-term development,” Staois said. “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 National Hockey League on a full-time basis. We are excited to watch his growth and trajectory in Calgary this season.”
Unfortunately, last season was a bit of a mixed bag. Yakemchuk’s point-per-game pace dropped from 1.08 to 0.88, and his goal total was cut nearly in half compared to his draft season. To make a frustrating situation worse, he was left off the Canadian World Junior team in December. It was far from the ideal situation, and Yakemchuk couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“That’s my goal, it’s to make that roster,” he told Sportsnet’s Alex Adams. “Last season was pretty tough on me. Obviously, I was a little bit disappointed getting sent back to junior, and then obviously disappointed (about not making) the World Junior team.”
But there were also highlights. With a better team in front of him, Yakemchuk could focus on the areas that were most criticized ahead of his seventh-overall selection, and they drastically improved. Opponents found it nearly impossible to get by him when he was patrolling the blue line; his size, quickness, and long reach were incredibly effective in a shutdown role, and he was happy to see the results.
“I found areas in my game that I needed to improve on,” he told TSN in April, “and I’m going to try to make that jump to the next level next season. It sucked, but it was motivation to keep getting better.”
This preseason revealed that, while Yakemchuk has made several significant improvements, it wasn’t quite where the Senators wanted, so they decided he should spend time in the minors. “It’s never an easy decision when you’re talking about a young guy that we feel has a bright future in the NHL,” said head coach Travis Green just before the team announced their final roster. “And, making sure that we put him in the best place to succeed is a delicate question, and answer, so we’ve got to make sure we put him in the right spot.”
Senators Have Too Many Right-Shot Defencemen
While it wasn’t an easy decision to send Yakemchuk to Belleville, one aspect should make it easier: there isn’t any room on the Senators’ right side.
At this point, no one is pushing Artem Zub or Nick Jensen out of the top four. Both have been perfect partners for Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, allowing them to play more offensive games and push the play while staying back and managing the defensive side. There was speculation that Jensen might need some more time recovering from off-season hip surgery, but he was back on the ice early last week and looks ready to start the season in Ottawa.
As for the bottom pairing, that spot currently belongs to Jordan Spence, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings at the 2025 NHL Draft. While he excels at moving the puck, he was also very strong defensively for the Kings while anchoring the third pairing last season. The hope is that playing him alongside the more defensively-minded Tyler Kleven will allow both players to thrive.
If that doesn’t work, though, Nikolas Matinpalo is right there to fill in. He had a surprising emergence last season, earning himself a full-time job with the Senators this season. While he’s still the seventh defenceman, he’s an effective player who can be utilized in a variety of situations.
If Yakemchuk had made the team, one of those players would have been placed on long-term injured reserve or on waivers. Neither option would have been ideal for a playoff team, so Ottawa went with the safer decision of letting Yakemchuk develop in the minors, where he will play big minutes as a top-pairing defender.
Senators See No Sense Rushing a Future Star
There’s little debate that Yakemchuk could emerge as a future top-four two-way defenceman with game-breaking ability. He can do things with the puck that some forwards can’t, and he’s 6-foot-4. He’s also taken advice and critiques to heart, using them to improve his game and become a more effective player. It’s also never hurt a player to spend a little more time figuring out the nuances of the game.
Better yet, it looks like Yakemchuk is looking forward to starting the season in the AHL. “Every time I get on the ice, it’s an opportunity to showcase myself,” Yakemchuk told Adams. “When the competition gets higher, I think my game elevates, so that’s fun to be in those types of games against really good players.”
It certainly helps that the Senators have taken a much more developmental approach to their young players. Thomson is a perfect example; after being drafted in the first round at the 2019 Draft, he was pegged as a potential core piece of the team’s rebuild. But opportunities rarely came for the talented offensive defenceman, and pretty soon, they all but dried up.
Frustration set in, his play suffered, and when his contract expired, he returned to Europe to play in Sweden. Although it seemed like his time in Ottawa was over, he returned with renewed optimism to make the NHL. That wouldn’t have happened with the previous management group.
Staios and the Senators continue to do what’s right for their players. It may be disappointing that Yakemchuk is taking more time to develop than his peers, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Remember, he’s just 20 years old and has plenty of time to reach his potential. When he does, the Senators will be more than happy to have him on their roster. It’s just not quite time yet.
