Penguins top forward prospect Brayden Yager is a WHL champion.
Yager and the Moose Jaw Warriors swept the Portland Winterhawks in four games on Wednesday in the WHL final round. The Warriors won Game 4 by a 4-2 score. It was the franchise's first WHL title.
Chills.
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 16, 2024
The moment the @MJWARRIORS were crowned WHL Champions for the very first time!#WHLChampionship | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/9RUHqu8DQZ
Take it for a spin, captain!
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 16, 2024
WHL Commissioner Dan Near presents the Ed Chynoweth Cup to @MJWARRIORS leader, Denton Mateychuk!@BlueJacketsNHL | #WHLChampionship | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/T3mt8EkgWN
"It's the best feeling ever," Yager said in a video from the league after the win. "These guys are all brothers. We've pretty much grown up together, we finally get the job done. It's unbelievable."
2024 #WHLChampionship Post-Game:
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 16, 2024
🎙️@penguins prospect Brayden Yager
🗣️"We are all brothers. We want the best for each other and I think that played into how much we had each others back out there."@MJWARRIORS | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/5vza2q6hry
Yager finished the WHL playoffs with 11 goals and 16 assists in 24 games. His 27 points ranked third in postseason scoring, trailing only his teammates Jagger Firkus (31) and Denton Mateychuk (30). Yager was scoreless in the championship-clinching game and tied for the team lead with five shots on goal.
Yager, the Penguins' first-round pick in 2023, recorded 35 goals and 60 assists in 57 regular-season games, tied for 14th in the league in scoring.
As the winners of the WHL, the Warriors earned the right to play for the Memorial Cup as the top team in Canadian major junior hockey. The other three teams are the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, the OHL champion London Knights and the QMJHL champion Drummondville Voltigeurs. The Knights and Voltigeurs also swept their championship rounds in four games.
The Memorial Cup follows a round-robin format and opens May 24 in Saginaw with the Warriors playing the Spirit. The Warriors play the Knights on May 27 and the Voltigeurs on May 28. The championship will be held on June 2.
Yager, 19, likely has one more season left of junior hockey remaining before he turns pro. Players coming from Canadian major junior hockey aren't eligible to play in the AHL until their 20-year-old season or after they have played at least four seasons of 25 or more games played. This was Yager's third season with 25 or more games, and he doesn't turn 20 until after the cutoff date next season. For players like Yager, it's either a full-time NHL role or back to junior. Especially given that Yager still needs to put on some size and strength -- he's listed at 5 foot 11, 166 pounds -- returning to junior is likely going to be his path.
