#p!gif:sens

[puckpocketed]

22/09/2024 - OTT @ TOR

carter yakemchuk debuts for the ottawa senators in preseason - a collection of comments.

"The only criticism I had on Yakemchuk that has persisted all season is that he is responsible for a lot of puck losses while attempting plays. Strangely, it’s not that Yakemchuk doesn’t have good hands. This was also mentioned previously when talking about his ability to change his shooting angles and to set-up plays for his teammates. The problem is that he thinks his hands are much better than they actually are." "This season, he tried to beat an opponent 1-on-1 five times more often than Artyom Levshunov, and twice as often as Zayne Parekh — the other hyper-offensive defenseman in this draft. The only players I could find that had a similar dangles-per-60 stat were all forwards." "Many think Yakemchuk’s pure skill and size will ensure he becomes a serviceable NHLer. But until he can establish better defensive reads and add more speed and mobility into his step, he’ll need to do a bit more to take his game up a notch." “He’s boom-bust,” another scout said. “If he plays to his strengths, he’s going to be a game-changer. But he’s not going to have the same time and space to dangle guys in the NHL, and if that goes away, all he has is size. The other elements need refining.”"

“It’s overtime at Scotiabank Arena and 2024 first-rounder Carter Yakemchuk is on the ice in his first ever pre-season game. First thing Yakemchuk does is slip past 69-goal man Auston Matthews behind Ottawa’s net. Gathering speed, he races up the ice, dangles through Jake McCabe, and then pushes past Mitch Marner and finishes off the game by undressing former Senators goaltender Matt Murray with a neat backhand move. Welcome to the NHL and the highlight reel, kid.”