Carter Yakemchuk

A third-round pick in the 2020 WHL bantam draft by the Calgary Hitmen, Carter Yakemchuk developed into a goal-scoring defenceman during his major-junior years. In his WHL rookie season, 2021–22, he produced four goals and eight assists for 12 points and earned the Hitmen rookie of the year honour. The next season he pushed those totals much higher, finishing 2022–23 with 19 goals and 47 points and earning a spot on the WHL Central Division second all-star team; Calgary exited in the first playoff round against Red Deer, where he posted three assists in five games.

The 2023–24 campaign further raised his profile: he was one of 40 draft-eligible players invited to the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and was named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending 28 January 2024. On 21 February he set a Hitmen single-season record for goals by a defenceman when he scored his 25th goal, surpassing Jake Bean's previous mark. In his final major-junior season, 2024–25, he recorded 17 goals and 49 points in 56 games and added two goals and seven points in 11 playoff contests as Calgary reached the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Viewed as a consensus first-round prospect for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Yakemchuk was selected seventh overall by the Ottawa Senators and signed a three-year entry-level contract on 6 August 2024. He began his professional career in 2025–26 with Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, after attending Ottawa's training camp.

A string of injuries among Ottawa's defence corps led to his NHL recall on 24 March 2026; he played his first NHL game that night and recorded his first goal and first NHL assist. He was returned to Belleville on 8 April once several Senators defenders had recovered. In 54 games with Belleville that season he totalled 10 goals and 40 points. During Ottawa's first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes he was called up for game four to replace an injured Jake Sanderson and contributed two assists, though Ottawa was ultimately eliminated.

The record-setting goal totals and steady point production from the blue line define him in concrete terms: his junior and early professional numbers show a defender who consistently contributes offensively, which accounts for his high draft placement and rapid integration into Ottawa's organization.