The Penguins inked young gun Brayden Yager to a three-year, entry-level contract yesterday. The deal carries a cap hit of $950K at the NHL level.
Selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 Entry Draft, Yager piled up an impressive 35 goals and 90 points during 57 regular-season games last season for Moose Jaw of the Western League. The right-handed-shooting sniper tacked on 11 goals and 27 points in 20 WHL playoff games to help the Warriors capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
Watching clips of the kid, one trait literally leaps off the video. Yager can flat-out rip the biscuit. He possesses a hair-trigger release and picks his spots with deadly accuracy. The thing is, you don’t really notice him all that much till the puck’s on his stick blade and then…WHAM. A snap of the wrists and it’s in the net.
To my eye, he has the makings of a classic, now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t, lurking-in-the-weeds sniper. Perhaps the most dangerous kind.
Much has been made of his overall game as well, patterned after none other than Sidney Crosby.
Speaking of, might we see the Yager-Meister (sorry, couldn’t resist) skate next to our captain this season?
Due to age restrictions, the 19-year-old isn’t eligible to play in the American Hockey League (and for the Baby Pens) this season. However, he can play up to nine games with the Pens without initiating the first year of his entry-level contract. So it’s entirely possible Yager might get a taste of the big time sooner than later.
It sure would be fun to see a player with his shot skating next to Sid, the ultimate set-up machine.
The stuff of black-and-gold dreams.
Speaking of kids, Dan Kingerski is doing a series of articles on our top prospects over on Pittsburgh Hockey Now. Well worth the read.
Hey Rick,
Sorry for being late to this.
I wish I could say I was excited by a Yager signing; he has a great shot, but I am not. Until Dubas gets a new Head Coach or Sullivan actually wakes up and gets a new plan my expectations for the team will be very low and my apathy toward rookies very high, since even if Sullivan starts to use them, no one on this team has shown that they can develop players, since 2015. Even Guentzel wasn’t developed here. He was pretty much a complete product coming out of college, thanks to his father.
Point 2 – Although I do believe Yager to be a really good prospect, and would definitely give him a legitimate shot at 3rd line Center, sheltered behind Crosby and Malkin, flanked by veterans like Bunting and Rakell, the way Jagr cut his teeth on the 3rd line behind Mario, Francis, Stevens, Mullen, Recchi, Coffey, and Murphy, not having to be the savior just learn the game, I would still think the team needed Musty more.
Point 3 – I find it interesting that you and many talking heads try and compare Yager to Crosby, saying he is a complete player, but to a person also note that Yager is invisible when he doesn’t have the Puck. To me a complete player is visible whether the puck is on his stick or not – you know Crosby is on the ice no matter who is carrying the puck.