Brayden Yager

March 2026 – Yager is the headliner of the Winnipeg system in terms of players who haven’t made their NHL debut yet, and his first professional season is a reasonable starting point. Nine goals and 24 points in 55 AHL games understates what he’s actually brought to Manitoba on a daily basis – the playmaking instincts and two-way details that made him a lottery pick are showing up even when the scoresheet doesn’t reflect it, and he has been used in a top-line role with power play time. The path from here is straightforward: earn a callup, get real minutes, and don’t get buried. Whether Winnipeg lets that happen in 2026-27 or keeps him waiting another year is the defining question for dynasty managers holding him. Ultimately he probably slots somewhere into the middle six. Ryan Downey

August 2025 – Yager will have his first opportunity at the pro level with the Manitoba Moose in the American Hockey League during the 2025-26 season. One of the Winnipeg Jets’ top prospects will have the opportunity to become a top-six center with power-play usage and penalty kill opportunities with the Moose. There is no need to rush Yager to the NHL, even with a glaring hole at the 2C position in Winnipeg. The Jets will hope that Jonathan Toews can help fill that role during the 2025-26 season, rather than relying on younger prospects in the system to be thrust into a role they are not yet ready for. The acquisition of Toews gives Yager an elite leader to learn from during the 2025 training camp, allowing him to apply that knowledge in his game in the AHL.

At some point, the Jets will have to start getting more of their prospects into the NHL lineup. Should Yager adapt quickly, he will be in line for full-time NHL playing time as early as the 2026-27 season, with an NHL debut possibility in the second half of the 2025-26 campaign. His fantasy value will be minimal until he establishes himself as a full-time NHL player, but when he does, he will have value across the board. While he may not be elite, he will possess all-around value, as he can contribute to goal scoring, assists, faceoff wins, and excel on special teams. Have him rostered and ready in your dynasty leagues for when he steps into the Jets’ lineup in the future. Mark Henry

May 2025 – The Winnipeg Jets recalled Yager on May 2, 2025, before game six of their opening round 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff matchup against the St. Louis Blues from the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, whose season ended on April 30 after getting swept by Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL Western Conference Final. In 16 playoff games with Lethbridge in 2025, Yager had 14 points (eight goals and six assists), averaging .88 points per game with 64 shots on net. The centerman won 166 of 311 faceoffs he took for a 53.4 faceoff percentage. The Winnipeg Jets desperately need a center after losing Mark Scheifele in game five with an injury, but don’t expect Yager to play; he will join the taxi squad. Mark Henry

December 2024 – Yager will play for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship for the second year in a row, and he was named team captain. Mark Henry

December 2024 – On Monday, December 2nd, Yager was invited to Canada’s national junior team selection camp in preparation for the 2025 World Junior Championship, which will take place from December 10-13, 2024, at TD Place in Ottawa. The same day, Yager was traded from his WHL team, the Moose Jaw Warriors, along with goalie Jackson Unger, to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for forward Landon Ward, goaltender Brady Smith, defenseman Colt Carter, and six draft picks.  Yager had 30 points (11 goals and 19 assists) in 21 games with the Warriors this season. Mark Henry

September 2024 – Yager will participate with the Winnipeg Jets in the 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C, September 13-16, 2024. It will be his first opportunity to suit up for his new team. Mark Henry

August 2024 – The Winnipeg Jets acquired Brayden Yager from the Pittsburgh Penguins on August 22, 2024, for 2022 first-round pick (14th overall) Rutger McGroarty. Mark Henry

July 2024 – The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Yager to a three-year, entry-level contract on July 25, 2024. Mark Henry

March 2024 – Yager came into this season with a lot of pressure and expectations on his shoulders. When drafted in June, he was immediately thrust into being the top prospect for the Penguins. Yager has done well. He continues to display the speed, transition game, and high-end shot that earned him a 14th overall draft pick. As Yager continues to develop, he needs to become stronger and drive the middle more effectively in traffic. Yager has a top-six upside with the potential to be on the top line. He will be a significant part of the next generation of Penguins hockey. As he heads into the WHL playoffs, he will be looking to carry his Moose Jaw team to a deep run. Tyler Ball

June 2023 – Yager has been selected 14th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Draft. Curtis Rines

April 2023 – It has been a difficult season for Yager, as he has dropped on almost every board, and ours is no exception. Yager’s shot is a truly high-end tool. He generates tremendous power and accuracy from various releases and doesn’t need much space to get them off. He has also built on his playmaking game a fair bit this season, flashing moments of impressive lane manipulation and passes through multiple layers of defense. He’s also a plus-level defensive player, dropping low in the defensive zone, scanning for threats, and fluidly switching assignments while keeping his stick in lanes. That said, his defensive game and goalscoring have both stagnated this season. Our biggest concerns with his projection are his struggle to play through heavy physicality (we are far more concerned with his lack of physicality than with Benson, Cristall, or Perron, for instance) and his average skating and hockey sense. Yager is slight, and he will need to either build out his frame and lower body significantly/or develop his skating or hockey sense to be an adaptive tool to circumvent physical pressure. There is undoubtedly a second-line upside here, but there is also a possibility that Yager will struggle to leap to the NHL. Sebastian High

September 2022 – Yager was a prominent figure on a talented Moose Jaw team in 2021-22, notching 34 goals and 25 assists in 63 regular-season games before adding seven more points in 10 postseason contests on his way to earning CHL Rookie of the Year honours. He starred at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer, finishing tied for second in the tournament, scoring five goals and four assists in five games to help Canada earn a gold medal.

Yager has a well-rounded and dynamic offensive toolkit, but his pure shooting ability often stands out. He drives possession at a high rate and is dangerous from all over the offensive zone with a snap-release wrister that comes off his blade with force and deception. Yager is a threat off the rush because he constantly scans the play, identifies lanes ahead of time, and attacks where the opposing defense and netminder are most vulnerable. He feels threatened whenever the puck is in his vicinity. Yager also works well off the puck to free himself in open space around the net and has a good sense of timing for attacking downhill or to the back door. He has good vision and moves the puck efficiently. Still, he is more of a facilitator than a pure playmaker, relying on his processing speed and anticipation rather than imaginative or creative passing plays. Yager is a fine skater, but he is still a bit rigid, and his lack of ankle flexion can limit his agility and short-area explosiveness. That said, he can back defenders off and change gears to create space when he gets a head of steam in transition, allowing him to utilize his deadly wrist shot. Yager also provides value on the defensive side of the puck, effectively supporting play in all three zones and using his quick hands to come away with his fair share of contested pucks. Still, he sometimes takes poor routes or angles and will have to clean that up this coming season. There is room for improvement in his skating, and he will have to continue to add strength as he matures, but his hockey sense, puck skills, and elite-level shot give him the potential to grow into an impactful top-six scorer who brings a solid two-way game at the NHL level. Nick Richard