Brayden Yager’s 2024–25 campaign got off to an exciting start.
The 6-foot center had just finished the biggest season of his hockey career, representing the league at the Memorial Cup the previous year and helping the Moose Jaw Warriors win the Western Hockey League.
On August 22, he learned that he had been moved from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for winger Rutger McGroarty while he was in the middle of his off-season and getting ready to go to his second NHL training camp.
It came as a slight surprise. Yager commented, “You don’t expect to be traded at such a young age.” Naturally, I had a great experience in Pittsburgh, where I got to know some excellent players and gained a lot of knowledge.
However, my first camp in Winnipeg was incredible, and it’s clear that there are many talented players there as well. The fact that those guys treated me so well and that the staff went above and above to make me feel accepted and like I belonged was fantastic.
The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native was able to stay in Western Canada, where he has spent his entire minor league career, after being traded to Winnipeg.
Yager’s family wasn’t unaware of the chance, which enables him to play in a market he knows well and stay near to home.
“I’m much closer to home [than in Pittsburgh], so Mom and Dad were pretty pumped,” Yager added. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in Winnipeg, which is a fantastic city and, of course, a terrific hockey town.
“It’s even more special because I’m in Canada, and I hope to have the opportunity to play in the NHL there.”
In 2023, Yager was selected 14th overall by the Penguins, and he played in two preseason games for the team to get his first taste of NHL action in Pittsburgh.
Yager’s opportunity to receive a close-up look at future Hall of Fame center Sidney Crosby, who also made the extra effort to welcome him to the professional ranks, was one of the many benefits of being selected by the Penguins in the draft.
Yager remarked, “Sid was unbelievable with me.” He called me to welcome me to the group as soon as I was drafted. I tried to absorb as much information as I could from a man like him when I went to that first camp.
As a 200-foot player, Yager takes pleasure in his ability to prioritize defensive play over offensive considerations.
The Jets have encouraged him to concentrate more on honing his skills off the puck, and although Yager thinks he has made great improvement in that area, it is still a work in progress, as is often the case with young players with offensive prowess.
“As a young player, you have to play on both ends of the ice and be just as good without the puck as you are with it if you want to play in the NHL,” Yager stated. “That’s what they’re really trying to get me to move up to the next level, and it’s been a recurring theme in both my Jets and Penguins experiences.”
Before being sent back to the WHL, Yager scored two points and one goal in two preseason games with the Jets.
He returned to a Moose Jaw squad that was radically different from the one that had taken home a title the year before. The Warriors appeared to be in the process of rebuilding after big stars like Denton Mateychuk, Matthew Savoie, and Jagger Firkus left for their respective NHL franchises.
Following a 6-15-4 start to the season, the Warriors decided to trade Yager and starting goalkeeper Jackson Unger to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in early December in exchange for goalie Brady Smith, forward Landen Ward, defenseman Colt Carter, and six draft picks.
Yager and Unger gave the season fresh energy by joining a fierce Hurricanes squad that was in a close battle for the top spot in the Eastern Conference rankings.
Yager remarked, “[Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger] put me in a good spot here in Lethbridge, and it was unbelievable.” “This team has a chance to do something exceptional, and the staff and players are fantastic.”
Yager helped the Hurricanes finish fourth in the conference with a 42-21-5 record, scoring 25 goals and 82 points in 54 games between Moose Jaw and Lethbridge.
With a 3-1 series lead, Lethbridge is now playing the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round. With a victory on Friday, Yager, who has three goals and five points in the series, hopes to advance to the next round.
The possibility of facing phenom Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers in the second round could be a challenging hurdle for Lethbridge if they defeat Brandon. McKenna has been unstoppable lately, scoring points in each of his previous 44 games, and Medicine Hat finished first in the league with a 47-17-3 record.
The Tigers have a 3-1 series lead going into Friday night’s game against the Swift Current Broncos in the first round.
Yager remarked, “This year, our division and conference are really strong.” It will be a fight since many of the teams were loading up, but that’s just the nature of the playoffs—they’re difficult.
“I believe that several of the players in our group have the potential to be very successful in the playoffs. All that needs to be done is maintain consistency and avoid going too high or too low. The series consists of seven games, and those are lengthy series.