D.O.B: JAN 3 2005

Place Of Birth: Saskatoon, SK, CAN

DY Team: Moose Jaw Warriors ( WHL )

Position: C

Height: 6’0″ / 183 cm

Weight: 165 lbs / 75 kg

Handness: Right

I think when it comes to this year’s NHL draft class, no one is more polarizing than Moose Jaw forward, Brayden Yager. After his stellar rookie campaign notching 34 goals, we would think that he would drastically take a next step in his play, but we seen only flashes of excellence from him this season. He has instead shown some issues with his play which might concern me if I was an NHL GM looking at him. Yager went from being a consensus top 5 pick to being outside the top ten from most draft boards, and guys like Zach Benson, Andrew Cristall have arguably been better this season. Let’s dive into his game and see the pros and cons to this type of player in this draft class.

OFFENSIVE ABILITY

I think it’s fair to start off with the good in yager’s offensive game. Brayden Yager is a terrific shooter, and he utilizes different shooting styles in order to create chances for himself & his teammates. Yager does not shy away from shooting off balance, and does it very well as he scores the majority of his goals off the rush. He’s able to uses his shooting ability to the fullest as he’s a constant threat on the powerplay, and leaves opponents wondering if he’s going to shoot or make a smart pass.

When it comes to his playmaking abillity, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with his toolset as he’s able to making smart tape to tape passes during pressure situations. During zone entries, Yager has efficiently entered the offensive zone more often than not with his quick give and go plays or lateral moves.

Yager’s able to create high danger passes by using his puck handling ability to create deception. At times, Yager is able to execute dangle and quick moves to get into the offensive zone or create space as shown in the second clip below. If he can refine his puck handling ability while skating at his fastest, he could be one of the most dangerous players in this draft class in terms of transition play.

Now the not-so good parts of Yager’s offensive play; He’s very invisible off the puck (will cover more in a later section), and he doesn’t actively try to get to open areas to receive a puck. Yager just stands around not moving his feet in most cases at 5v5. However, when it comes to special teams, he’s moving constantly to find open ice, and creates tons of scoring opportunities. That’s good and all, but it’s a question-mark on whether this level of play can really translate to the pro level. Another issue with Yager’s game is the turnovers. Although I highlighted his puck handling ability, it’s a negative as well. His over eagerness to create a flashy move has caused him to bobble the puck over to the other team many times.

To summarize with this section, Yager needs to be more of a “play-driver” during 5v5 if he wants to be an effective forward in the NHL. What he brings to the table offensively is his above average shooting ability and his smart playmaking ability that creates opportunities for his linemates.

SKATING

In the game of hockey, you need to be pretty fast to keep up with the pace. Yager has to be one of the most dynamic skaters in the draft class this year. His skating is one of the many reasons how he’s able to enter the offensive zone with possession with ease this season. Yager is able to move effectively on ice with his powerful crossovers, which helps him shift side to side with his lateral movement. Yager also displayed his ability to shift his weight & make tight-turns to misguide attackers. He’s also able to generate free space with his shiftiness, as he can go from point A to B with ease. His straight line speed is also deadly as he’s able to blow past WHL defenders in an instant. Thing is however, his speed depends on how much effort he decides to put in.

To wrap up this section, I believe Yager has one of the best skating abilities in this draft class, and when he’s on, he’s “on”. He’s extremely lethal with the puck in transitions.

DEFENSIVE ABILITY & STICK-PLAY

This section is where I’m going to be brutally honest. Brayden Yager isn’t great defensively as a Centre, and his play doesn’t justify him coasting as a centreman. During play, Yager puck-watches instead of helping his teammates in his own zone. Not to mention the amount of times he leaves the defensive zone way too early. This makes me doubt that Yager can really play in the NHL as a centre, as I see him as a winger instead. Yager isn’t very consistent on the forecheck. Most of the time, he’s the kind of player who lets the play come to him and he goes from there. However, It’s not like he can’t get better in his own end, as there’s been flashes of defensive competence with him.

To summarize this section, defence is an extreme flaw in Yager’s game. Whether or not he gets better depends on the amount of effort he wants to put in during defensive zone situations.

CONCLUSION:

I think that Brayden Yager has the potential to be a highly skilled forward in the NHL, and he’s definitely got the skillset to develop into one. He’s showcased his excellent shooting ability, playmaking vision & pace-setting speed, but can he improve his overall work ethic and defensive game? Those concerns are the biggest flaws in his game, and has tanked his draft stock a bit.

I’ve ranked Yager at #16 on my personal rankings list after the halfway point of this season.

Other Rankings:

All videos used here are from Instat, CHL Hockey 

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