Brayden Yager
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Brayden Trevor Yager (born January 3, 2005) is a Canadian junior ice hockey player for the
Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and play their home games at the VisitLethbridge.com Are ...
of the
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
(WHL) as a prospect to the
Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). He was selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
in the 2023 NHL entry draft. He was traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on December 2, 2024.


Early life

Yager was born on January 3, 2005, to parents Cam and Maureen in
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
, Canada. Although he was raised in
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...
, the family moved to
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
when he was 11 years old. Yager was born into an athletic family as both his father and older brother played ice hockey. His father was a goaltender for the Detroit Falcons in the Colonial Hockey League while his brother played in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL).


Playing career


Early years

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Yager played bantam hockey with the Martensville Marauders in the Saskatchewan Male U15 League from 2017 to 2019. In his first season with the team, he recorded 35 goals and 24 assists for 59 points through 31 games. He improved during the 2018–19 season by accumulating 44 goals and 59 assists for 103 points through 31 games. Following this, Yager played two seasons with the Saskatoon Contacts in the Saskatchewan Midget 'AAA' Hockey League (SMAAAHL) as an underage player. Due to his age, he was required to receive "exceptional player" status to play at 14. In the 2019–20 season, during which he turned 15, he finished third in team scoring with 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points through 44 games. He continued to impress during that year's playoffs, as he led the Contacts in scoring with two goals and six assists for and eight points through six games.


Junior

During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Yager was drafted third overall in the 2020
Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...
(WHL) Bantam Draft by the
Moose Jaw Warriors The Moose Jaw Warriors are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, hosting games at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The t ...
. Due to the foregoing pandemic, Yager was able to make his
major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...
debut at the age of 15 without gaining "exceptional player" status. This was because the pandemic restricted the options available to players during the winter and spring. In his rookie season, Yager set a new franchise record for 16-year olds by tallying 34 goals through 63 regular season games during the 2021–22 season. As a result of his exceptional play, Yager became the first Moose Jaw player to receive the
Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; , LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three me ...
(CHL)'s Rookie of the Year award. Yager also received the
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy The Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition. The award is named after Saskatoon Blades founder Jim Piggott, one of the founding fathers ...
as Rookie of the Year across the WHL. Yager returned to the Warriors for the 2022–23 season where he was named an alternate captain. In this new role, he recorded career highs in points and assists with 78 and 50 respectively. He ranked second on the team in points and 22nd among all WHL players. Yager's production helped the Warriors finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 37–24–4–3 record. At the conclusion of the season, Yager received the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Sportsmanlike Player. Ahead of the 2023 NHL entry draft, Yager was ranked fourth among all skaters by
The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by the Sports Network Inc., a subsidiary of CTV Specialty Television, which is also a joint venture of Bell Media (70%), also owned by BCE ...
's Director of Scouting Craig Button. He was eventually selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...
. In the 2023–24 season, Yager played 57 games, managing 35 goals and 60 assists while accruing only 20 penalty minutes. He earned the Hornung Trophy for the second consecutive season, and was ultimately named
CHL Sportsman of the Year The CHL Sportsman of the Year Award is given out annually to the most sportsmanlike player in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winner of the William Hanley Trophy of the Ontario Hockey League, the Frank J. Selke Memorial Trop ...
. Yager played a key role in the Warriors' deep run in the 2024 playoffs, which saw them defeat the
Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...
in the WHL Finals to hoist the
Ed Chynoweth Cup The Ed Chynoweth Cup is an ice hockey club championship trophy awarded to the playoff champion of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Originally called the President's Cup when the league was founded in 1966, the trophy was renamed in 2007 to honour ...
. He had 11 goals and 16 assists in the postseason, third in team scoring. As WHL champions, the Warriors went on to participate in the 2024 Memorial Cup. They were ultimately eliminated by the host
Saginaw Spirit The Saginaw Spirit are a Junior ice hockey#Major junior, major junior ice hockey team based in Saginaw, Michigan, Saginaw, Michigan. They are members of the West Division of the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of the ...
in the tournament semi-final. Yager had three goals and three assists in four games played. He was named to the
Memorial Cup All-Star Team The Memorial Cup All-Star Team is an annual selection of the best players at the Memorial Cup tournament. Six recipients are chosen for each Memorial Cup tournament: one Goaltender (ice hockey), goaltender, two Defenceman (ice hockey), defencem ...
for the tournament. On July 25, 2024, Yager signed his first professional contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signing a three-year, entry-level deal. On August 22, 2024, Yager was traded by the Penguins to the
Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The te ...
in exchange for the signing rights to prospect
Rutger McGroarty Rutger McGroarty (born March 30, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL entr ...
. Yager was traded to the
Lethbridge Hurricanes The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Lethbridge, Alberta. The Hurricanes play in the Central Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and play their home games at the VisitLethbridge.com Are ...
on December 2, 2024 alongside teammate Jackson Unger in exchange for three players and a series of draft picks.


International play

As a native of Canada, Yager represented the Canadian men's junior national team at the
2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup The 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup (branded as the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup presented by Ram for sponsorship reasons) is an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada from 31 July 2022 – 6 August 2022 at Peavey Mar ...
. During the tournament, he recorded five goals and four assists through five games to help Team Canada win a gold medal.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honours


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yager, Brayden 2005 births Living people Canadian ice hockey centres Moose Jaw Warriors players NHL first-round draft picks Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Ice hockey people from Saskatoon 21st-century Canadian sportsmen