CHL to NHL: WHL champion Yager debuts with Jets
Former Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Brayden Yager made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets Monday night.
In a 6-2 loss to Vegas, Yager played 10:25 and recorded one shot on goal.
In 265 career games from 2020-25, he recorded 129 goals and 332 points. The third overall pick by Moose Jaw in 2020, his 280 career points are the fifth most in franchise history. In 2023-24, he had a career high 95 points in the regular season and 27 more in the postseason as he led Moose Jaw to its first WHL title.
He finished his WHL career with Lethbridge after a January 2025 trade and made 33 appearances for the Hurricanes.
Yager was the CHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2022 and CHL Sportsman of the Year in 2024. In the WHL, he won Rookie of the Year in 2022 as well as Most Sportsmanlike Player in 2023 and 2024.
Internationally, the Saskatoon, SK., native won gold with Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and played at both the 2024 and 2025 World Juniors.
In his first pro season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, Yager has 10 goals and 30 points in 68 games.
Drafted 14th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2023 NHL Draft, Yager was acquired by Winnipeg in August 2024.
From Saskatoon to the Show 🤩
Welcome to the @NHL, Brayden Yager!!! pic.twitter.com/BL28NjZGyo
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 14, 2026
