標籤: investigated

With the Senators off tonight, now is a good time to take a look at the world of Senators prospects. Today’s focus will be on one possibility in particular. In fact, he’s their best prospect. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on with Carter Yakemchuk.

READ MORE: Senators score seven points to beat Sharks

Basics about Carter Yakemchuk

Yakemchuk is a 6’3″, 219 pound, right shot defenseman. The Senators drafted him 7th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Yakemchuk played four consecutive seasons in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen before joining the AHL this year.

Here were my pre-draft notes on Yekemchuk, which still more or less remain my thoughts on him:

Pros:The stats jump off the page – 30 goals, 71 points, 120 PIMS, 275 shots. Plays a very physical, cheap, dirty game. Ready to fight. great shot. Great hands – can hang legitimately.

Shortcoming:The first few steps are slow. Questionable defensive play – Appears to lack urgency in his own zone at times, sometimes tries to do too much with the puck or make special plays.

ground level:Playing on such a bad team, they asked him to do everything, so I’m choosing to believe that some of his defensive lapses are because of that. He’s huge, he’s low, he’s got great hands. He fits into any team’s blueline, as long as he can find the defensive side.

Carter Yakemchuk by the numbers

Yakemchuk’s statistics with the Belleville Senators this season are as follows:

• 47 games, 9 goals, 35 points, 26 PIM

Yakemchuk was recently named AHL Player of the Week. He recorded six assists in two games. In the game before that, he scored a goal and also added an assist.

Among AHL defensemen, Yakemchuk is ninth in both goals and points. Among AHL rookies, he ranks seventh in points. The downside is that his -29 is worst in the AHL.

final thoughts

When you look at how Yakemchuk records his points, this is not a quiet, secondary assist-getting player. He has great plays to set up his teammates. From a shooting perspective, he can absolutely shred the puck. At the beginning of the year, his production was primarily on the power play – through his first 27 games, he scored 18 points. 12 of them were accompanied by additional men. Since then he has scored 17 points in his last 20 games. Only three of them have come in the power play.

Given his size and style of play, I have no doubts about his ability to stick around physically. I’m sure as he gets more comfortable, there will be more toughness at the professional level. The question is, can he skate and defend well at the next level? It is unlikely that Yakemchuk will get his NHL opportunity this season. Next season, however, there is a good chance that Nick Jensen is no longer with the team. This opens up a space on the right side. It is up to Yakemchuk to not only finish this season strong, but prove early next year that he is a better skater and defensive player to earn his chance as a full-time NHL player.

Patience will always be necessary with Yakemchuk. Considering how strong their defensive depth is at the moment, what a luxury it is for the Senators to not have to rush their top prospect into the NHL. Brent Burns makes a good comparison. Burns didn’t become a top-four D-man until he was 22. Yakemchuk is just 20 years old.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 against the Washington Wizards, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s epic 81-point game by two points. The Heat controlled the game from beginning to end and won their sixth consecutive victory.

However, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, it may have been better for Adebayo not to chase Bryant’s 81-point total. NBA insiders believe Bryant’s untimely death has overshadowed his most cherished accomplishments as a Lakers superstar.

“Based on human nature, his death puts more weight on each of his best-loved adventures and creates a feeling that they should be handled with a certain kind of care. And judging by the reaction of some of the people from Bryant’s past with whom I was in touch after Adebayo’s exit, this feeling was not unique,” Amick said.

He claimed that Adebayo’s record-breaking night was also the result of ‘stat-chasing’ and that the potential decision to step down would have been seen as a noble decision. Of course, his teammates also ended up committing fouls to help him score points.

“What will be less noted is how the Heat helped Adebayo with his total, drawing intentional fouls in those final minutes to put the game away and ultimately giving him two final free throws with 1:16 remaining before he left.”

Adebayo finished with 20-42 from the field and 7-22 from beyond the arc. They converted 36-43 of their free throws and relied on fouls to keep points.

Amick concluded, “Still, Adebayo’s performance was very different from Bryant’s, and you didn’t have to watch his entire inning to see that much.”

Of course, fans could argue the opposite, and claim the fact that Adebayo passed Bryant was not a case of lack of respect. Given the modern NBA’s consistently huge point totals, Kobe’s record was always in danger.