BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Projected first-round pick Brayden Yager met with 22 teams while at the NHL's Scouting Combine this week in Buffalo, N.Y.
Two teams took the initiative to invite Yager out to dinner to get to know him better. The first, Arizona, included Yager in a group of about nine prospects that were invited out together.
One team's scouting staff was interested in Yager enough to extend him a solo invitation: The Penguins.
"It was super cool," Yager told me with a big grin when talking about the experience on Saturday.
Of course, Yager was excited about what he called the "nice free meal," -- a chicken caesar salad at Hutch's Restaurant, not wanting to eat too much as he was getting over a bout of food poisoning. Even more exciting was the interest the Penguins showed in him as a potential option for their first-round pick at No. 14 overall, and for good reason.
One executive told me that Yager would be a "good get" for the Penguins if he's still available at No. 14, and that he has real potential to turn into a two-way, second-line center at the NHL level.
Yager, 18, is a right-handed center for the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors. This past season was Yager's second full season in the WHL, a year in which he recorded 28 goals and 50 assists in 67 games, finishing No. 2 in scoring on Moose Jaw behind only 2022 second-round pick Jagger Firkus. Yager continued that pace in the postseason, with six goals and 10 assists in 10 games.
That production is a bit of a change of direction from his impressive rookie 2021-22 season in Moose Jaw. He scored slightly more goals (34) in 67 games as a rookie, but half the amount of assists (25) than he had this season. That 59-point season earned him the title of WHL Rookie of the Year. He later won CHL Rookie of the Year, awarded to the best rookie among the WHL, OHL and QMJHL Rookies of the Year. It's a pretty prestigious award, with the previous four CHL Rookie of the Year winners being Shane Wright, Quinton Byfield, Alexis Lafreniere and Nico Hischier.
The increase in assists this season came as a result of a focus on becoming more of a playmaker, and it paid off.
"I was known as just a goal-scorer," Yager said. "It's something that I wanted to work on going into the season. I thought I did a really good job of that, I had a lot more more assists this year than last year. But at the same time, I think I've got to shoot the puck more."
In trying to become a better playmaker, Yager focused first and foremost on his vision. He also worked on becoming more deceptive, so he could create more time and space for himself to make those plays.
I asked Yager what other parts of his game he'd most like to focus on improving, and he pointed to his play on the other side of the puck.
"I can alway keep getting better at my 200-foot game," he said. "I think that'll be something that really helps me going into the NHL, gaining the trust of my coaches and working my way up the lineup."
Oftentimes when young centers break into the NHL, it'll first be as a wing to make the transition easier. There are more defensive responsibilities with being a center, and so it's not uncommon for coaches to put a player at wing before he gets moved to center at the NHL level. Yager would be comfortable at either position if that's where the coach puts him, but he wants to play center at the NHL level. He knows there are still some parts of his game he needs to continue to develop beyond just that 200-foot game to make that happen.
"Puck possession is so important in today's game," he said. "I think if you can win a faceoff, that'd be huge. I think it starts with the strength, playing against guys that are a lot older and bigger than you. I think if I can put on a little bit of weight, I'll be able to win faceoffs first. Then when you get stronger, you also get faster and all that stuff. Controlling the middle of the ice as a center is huge, and it starts with the faceoff."
Yager tries to watch a lot of Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews and learn from them -- first, for their faceoff abilities, but also their two-way play.
"Their routes in the defensive zone, always supporting the puck," Yager said of what he likes about their games. "Just that mentality of taking care of your own end first, and then letting your skill take over in the offensive zone. Your routes as a centerman are super important, always being an option for the defenseman breaking out. Their habits on the ice are cool to watch."
As Yager acknowledged, he needs to get stronger. He's 5-foot-11 and 166 pounds. That weight's not going to cut it in the NHL, but it's also not uncommon for prospects his age. There's a lot of time to (literally) grow for these guys. Still, despite being on the lighter side, Yager impressed in some of the fitness tests here at the combine.
The NHL makes public the top 25 of the 100-plus players in each test, and Yager finished in the top 25 in several categories. He had the 21st best squat jump height, exploding for a 15.72-inch height. He tied for 10th in the consecutive pull-up test, completing 12 pull-ups in a row.
In the aerobic fitness test, which measures the capacity of the player's cardiovascular and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to the muscles and perform in high-intensity activities, Yager finished tied for 14th overall. In the anaerobic fitness test, which is conducted by pedaling an exercise bike at max capacity for 30 seconds, Yager had the sixth-best average power output and the 14th-best peak power output.
Most prospect ranking sites have Yager projected to be selected around the mid-first round range, which would be right in line with the Penguins' selection at No. 14 overall. While teams typically don't draft based on positional needs in the NHL, the Penguins' prospect pool could surely benefit from a high-end center prospect with top-six potential.
Yager might just be that guy.
This is the first story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
