By practically all measures, Brayden Yager’s first training camp with the Penguins was a whopping success.
The Penguins’ 2023 first-round pick impressed in his preseason debut with the team, both with conscientious play and a nifty shootout goal that demonstrated his scoring prowess. But before it was time for Yager to return to his juniors team — the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) — he had an exit interview with Kyle Dubas, who used his first draft pick as the Penguins’ team president on the 18-year-old center.
During their chat, Dubas expressed confidence in Yager’s first impression with the club before he embarked on his fourth season with the Warriors.
“I think that they're happy with how I play the game,” Yager told the Post-Gazette. “I think they were really happy with my camp. I can play both ends of the ice, and I think that's something that I take pride in and something that they wanted me to keep working on.”
Since the Saskatoon native journeyed back to Moose Jaw, Yager has made a point of trying to keep up with some of the good habits he picked up during his time around ample NHL veterans in camp. Yager noticed how much attention to detail players expend on taking care of their bodies, whether it be work in the weight room or submerging themselves in tubs after workouts.
Thirteen games into the Warriors’ season, Yager is hopeful he’s avoiding the pitfalls that many prospects before him have fallen victim to upon returning to their juniors team.
“Some guys come back from NHL training camp and think that they can cheat the game and it's all about points. But that's not the case at all,” Yager said. “I think if I can keep good habits and play the game the right way, I think that it'll set myself up to be able to transition to the NHL better.”
The 6-foot, 170-pound Yager wants to continue adding to his frame, too. But something the Penguins appear to be keeping closer tabs on is Yager’s work in the faceoff circle.
It was a point of emphasis during training camp for Yager, and that remains the case. He’s kept in touch with the Penguins coaching staff on the topic, and so far he is winning 51% of faceoffs in WHL play.
While his development continues at the dot, Yager’s gotten off to a sizzling start in the goal-scoring department, aided by a gnarly right shot that helped him be a lottery pick. He scored seven goals in the season’s first six games and currently has 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists.
At this rate, Yager is right on track to eclipse the stats he posted during a down campaign in 2022-23, at least relative to what he put forth in 2021-22. But in his second season serving as the Warriors’ alternate captain, Yager is more preoccupied with imparting the wisdom he acquired in his first NHL training camp unto his teammates.
“I think there's so many things that I can bring back here,” Yager said. “I think just learning from how the older guys carry themselves, I think that I can bring that here and try and bring that leadership that I learned from Pittsburgh back to Moose Jaw and try to be a good role model.”
Given how much time Yager has spent playing for a team located roughly two hours away from his hometown, it’s little wonder why securing some hardware before he moves on to AHL competition is of importance to him. Yager’s been with Moose Jaw since he was 15 years old, a campaign that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the Warriors’ inception in 1984, they’ve failed to secure a Memorial Cup championship, awarded annually to the top juniors team in Canada. Though it’d be easy for Yager to let his attention drift to his looming Penguins pursuits, his focus isn’t just on his personal growth, but on the task most important to his current club.
“The goal of playing juniors is to win a Memorial Cup, right?” Yager said. “I think that ever since the bubble, we've kind of grown up together. We've got a really tight group here and all our heads are in the same direction. We're looking to do something pretty special this year.”
Three Stars
- Goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist is off to a stellar start to his first full season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In five games, Blomqvist has a 2.09 goals-against average and producing a .916 save percentage. Not bad for the 21-year-old from Finland
- Forward Sam Houde is pacing the Baby Pens in points with six across the four games he’s played. He’s been efficient with his goals, too, needing just four shots to net a pair.
- Defenseman Ty Smith has three assists while skating in seven games, one of only a handful of Wilkes-Barre players to do so on a deeper roster than past seasons. Smith has been trigger-happy this season, too, leading the team with 25 shots.
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1
First Published: October 31, 2023, 11:09 a.m.
