2024 NHL Draft player profile: Carter Yakemchuk, Calgary Hitmen

You can count Carter Yakemchuk among the hundreds of thousands of people who will be glued to a screen on Monday night as the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers clash in one of the most hotly-anticipated Stanley Cup Finals in modern NHL history.

The talented blueliner, born in Fort McMurray, Alta. and raised in Calgary, will be cheering on the Oilers and Evan Bouchard, the NHL defenceman he largely models his game after.

“The way he plays the offensive zone, his creativity as well as his shot,” Yakemchuk explained to a crowd of reporters at the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine.

Calgary Hitmen General Manager Garry Davidson says there are many people in WHL and NHL circles drawing comparisons between the two.

Yakemchuk and Bouchard both clock in at 6-foot-3 and weigh roughly 194 pounds with a coveted right-hand shot and offensive flair that sends shivers down the spines of their opposition.

But Yakemchuk has done at least one thing Bouchard hasn’t- scored 30 goals in a major junior season.

The Calgary Hitmen standout led all WHL blueliners and set a new single-season franchise record for goals by a defenceman by potting 30 in 2023-24.

“It’s amazing for an 18-year-old to score 30 goals in the league, but it’s even more amazing to see a defenceman score 30 goals,” Davidson said. “His desire to have offense success, his desire to score goals, it’s something else. It’s phenomenal. We would need a goal and he was the guy that was going to step up and make that happen for us so many times.”

Yakemchuk would add another 41 assists for a total of 71 points in 66 games, finishing second on the Hitmen in goals and points and snagging WHL Central Division First-Team All-Star honours.

There’s also a level of grit to his game, as evidenced by his 120 penalty minutes.

While his offensive upside is undeniable, Davidson is excited to see how the youngster’s defensive play evolves with more time in the league.

“I think it’s a part of the game that he has to start to define himself,” Davidson explained. “He certainly can be physical. He’s got reach and range, which allows him to defend very well with his stick. I think the one thing that he has to continue to aspire to understand is that at times, you have to focus on defending the player as opposed to defending the puck. But I think all the things that are so-called shortcomings in his game are so teachable and something that, as he moves through this next couple of years of development, will come along nicely.”

The breakout season saw him earn invitations to the 2024 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects game and the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine, where he met with 23 NHL clubs.

“The overall week was awesome and such a cool experience,” Yakemchuk added. “I learned a lot about myself this week and a lot about all the teams.”

NHL Central Scouting has ranked Yakemchuk 11th among all North American skaters heading into Round One of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas, Nev. on Friday, June 28.

For today, he’ll be watching Bouchard and the Oilers chase the Stanley Cup- but by the end of the week, he’ll be one step closer to his own NHL dream.