Flyers could have shot Yakemchuk, a defender with ‘rare combination’ originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
Despite making it through most of the 2023-24 season, the Flyers still have a rebuilding mentality. The club’s decision-makers know there is a need for more talent and that the early draft remains the best way to acquire it.
“The majority of it still needs to be done through our young guys, especially through the draft,” general manager Danny Briere said in April.
The Flyers will have a good opportunity to boost their future when the 2024 NHL Draft arrives June 28-29 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round is Friday at 7pm ET, while rounds 2 through 7 take place on Saturday starting at 11:30am ET.
Like last summer, the Flyers have 10 picks, including two first-round picks. Barring a negotiation, they will make their best overall selection at 12th position. Briere believes the Flyers “can get a very talented player” at that position.
In the first round of the 2023 draft, the Flyers attacked Matvei Michkov in the 7th position It is grabbed Oliver Bonk in 22nd place. They should also have two 2025 first-round picks.
Ahead of the 2024 draft, we’re breaking down the targets for the Flyers at No. 12.
Next:
Carter Yakemchuk
Position: Defender
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 202
Photos: Right
Team: Calgary killers
Scouting Report
There’s a lot of intrigue with Yakemchuk and it goes way beyond his size and right-handed shooting.
He is immensely mobile and skilled for a great defender. But he’s not all flash. He likes to defend with some nastiness and physicality.
“He scored 30 goals and had over 100 minutes on penalties,” Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said two weeks ago in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “That’s a rare combination.”
Yakemchuk’s 30 goals for the WHL’s Hitmen ranked second among all defensemen in Canadian junior hockey this season. Only Zayne Parekh of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit has had more, with 33, and he’s a potential top-five pick in this draft.
Adding 41 assists, Yakemchuk finished second in Calgary with 71 points in 66 regular season games. His 120 penalty minutes put him in a three-way tie for fifth-most in the WHL. The long, agile blueliner can dance around defenders with the puck on his stick and likes to close gaps quickly when in coverage.
“I don’t know if he’s fully matured into his body yet, so his upside is very, very intriguing,” Marr said. “When you see him with the puck at the offensive blue line and in the offensive zone, you would swear he is a forward. He has that kind of skill set, that kind of offensive ability.
“He’s tough, he defends with purpose, he’s not afraid to use his size. It takes a lot to overcome 100 minutes on penalties.”
Yakemchuk, considered older going into his draft year, turning 18 last September, will have to refine his defensive game. This is common for most potential customers. Defending at junior level is different from defending against professionals. In three seasons with the Hitmen, Yakemchuk has a minus-33 rating.
He is the 11th ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and considered the 17th overall prospect by EliteProspects. with. TSN Craig Button has Yakemchuk in 11th place and TSN’s Bob McKenzie has it in 12th place.
“There are parts of his game that still need to be taught, that he will learn at the NHL level,” Marr said. “I think as he becomes a pro, his defensive game is going to get even tighter than it is. But he has the skating, which is elite for someone his size, where he has the mobility and agility to stay with attackers when he’s defending.”
Adjustment with leaflets
The 2024 recruiting class is defense-heavy. There’s a chance four or five could go in the top 10, so Yakemchuk could be next for the Flyers if they consider him the best player available at No. 12.
The sharpshooting component is always attractive to NHL clubs. If the Flyers chose Yakemchuk, they would have a chance at a bright future at right tackle when you include 19-year-old Bonk and Jamie Drysdale, aged 22between others.
Flyers amateur scout Mark Greig has long followed the WHL and the club picked up a couple of blueliners from the Calgary program: Travis Sanheim (2014 first-round pick) and Egor Zamula (2018 undrafted free agent signing).
The Flyers need to find more answers for their future on defense and really build from the back. Yakemchuk has the potential to help them prevent goals and also create them on the power play.
“He has all the ingredients to form a complete package and it’s just going to take some experience and maturity before it all comes together,” Marr said. “You call him up every now and then, two or three years later, that’s what you’re projecting. I think he’s an easy projection. He’s one of those players that could make it to the top 10 or he could slip up a little bit, you never know. how teams are going to approach this.”
More targets
• Flyers should like Helenius, ‘one of the draft’s biggest talents’
• Flyer draft target Catton has ‘ingredients’ to be top-tier center
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