| Brayden Yager | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 3, 2005 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team | Winnipeg Jets Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) | ||
| NHL draft | 14th overall, 2023 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
Brayden Trevor Yager (born January 3, 2005) is a Canadian junior ice hockey player for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) as a prospect to the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL entry draft.
Yager was born on January 3, 2005, [1] to parents Cam and Maureen in Saskatchewan, Canada. Although he was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, the family moved to Saskatoon when he was 11 years old. Yager was born into an athletic family as both his father and older brother played ice hockey. His father was a goaltender for the Detroit Falcons in the Colonial Hockey League while his brother played in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL). [2]
Growing up in Saskatchewan, Yager played bantam hockey with the Martensville Marauders in the Saskatchewan Male U15 League from 2017 to 2019. In his first season with the team, he recorded 35 goals and 24 assists for 59 points through 31 games. [1] He improved during the 2018–19 season by accumulating 44 goals and 59 assists for 103 points through 31 games. [3] Following this, Yager played two seasons with the Saskatoon Contacts in the Saskatchewan Midget 'AAA' Hockey League (SMAAAHL) as an underage player. Due to his age, he was required to receive "exceptional player" status to play at 14. [3] In the 2019–20 season, during which he turned 15, he finished third in team scoring with 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points through 44 games. [4] He continued to impress during that year's playoffs, as he led the Contacts in scoring with two goals and six assists for and eight points through six games. [3]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yager was drafted third overall in the 2020 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft by the Moose Jaw Warriors. [3] Due to the foregoing pandemic, Yager was able to make his major junior debut at the age of 15 without gaining "exceptional player" status. This was because the pandemic restricted the options available to players during the winter and spring. [5] In his rookie season, Yager set a new franchise record for 16-year olds by tallying 34 goals through 63 regular season games during the 2021–22 season. [6] As a result of his exceptional play, Yager became the first Moose Jaw player to receive the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)'s Rookie of the Year award. [7] Yager also received the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year across the WHL. [8]
Yager returned to the Warriors for the 2022–23 season where he was named an alternate captain. [9] In this new role, he recorded career highs in points and assists with 78 and 50 respectively. He ranked second on the team in points and 22nd among all WHL players. [10] Yager's production helped the Warriors finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 37–24–4–3 record. [6] At the conclusion of the season, Yager received the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Sportsmanlike Player. [11] Ahead of the 2023 NHL entry draft, Yager was ranked fourth among all skaters by The Sports Network's Director of Scouting Craig Button. [12] He was eventually selected in the first round, 14th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins. [10]
In the 2023–24 season, Yager played 57 games, managing 35 goals and 60 assists while accruing only 20 penalty minutes. He earned the Hornung Trophy for the second consecutive season, and was ultimately named CHL Sportsman of the Year. [13] [14] Yager played a key role in the Warriors' deep run in the 2024 playoffs, which saw them defeat the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL Finals to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup. He had 11 goals and 16 assists in the postseason, third in team scoring. [15] As WHL champions, the Warriors went on to participate in the 2024 Memorial Cup. They were ultimately eliminated by the host Saginaw Spirit in the tournament semi-final. Yager had three goals and three assists in four games played. [16] He was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team for the tournament. [17]
On July 25, 2024, Yager signed his first professional contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signing a three-year, entry-level deal. [18] On August 22, 2024, Yager was traded by the Penguins to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for the signing rights to prospect Rutger McGroarty. [19]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Hlinka Gretzky Cup | ||
 | 2022 Canada | |
As a native of Canada, Yager represented the Canadian men's junior national team at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. [20] During the tournament, he recorded five goals and four assists through five games to help Team Canada win a gold medal. [21]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2020–21 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 24 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 63 | 34 | 25 | 59 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 67 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL | 57 | 35 | 60 | 95 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 12 | ||
| WHL totals | 211 | 104 | 146 | 250 | 56 | 40 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 22 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Canada | HG18 |  | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Canada | WJC | 5th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 2 | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| CHL Rookie of the Year | 2022 | [7] |
| CHL Sportsman of the Year | 2024 | [14] |
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2024 | [17] |
| WHL | ||
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | 2022 | [8] |
| Brad Hornung Trophy | 2023, 2024 | [11] |
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion | 2024 | [15] |
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada, alongside the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Teams play for the Ed Chynoweth Cup, with the winner moving on to play for the Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship. WHL teams have won the Memorial Cup 19 times. The WHL is composed of 22 teams divided into two conferences of two divisions. The Eastern Conference comprises 11 teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, while the Western Conference comprises eleven teams from British Columbia and the American states of Washington and Oregon.
The Moose Jaw Warriors are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, hosting games at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The team was founded in 1980 as the Winnipeg Warriors, and relocated to Moose Jaw in 1984. The Warriors won their first league championship in 2024.
This is a timeline of events throughout the history of the Western Hockey League (WHL), which dates back to its founding in 1966. The league was founded by a group of team owners and managers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including Bill Hunter, Scotty Munro, Del Wilson, and Jim Piggott, who thought a larger western league would help western teams compete for the Memorial Cup against teams from the larger associations in Ontario and Quebec. Since the league's founding, it has expanded to include 22 teams across the four Western Canadian provinces along with the Northwest United States, and it has produced 19 Memorial Cup championship teams.
The 1986–87 WHL season was the 21st season of the Western Hockey League (WHL). While the Kamloops Blazers won their second Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions, the Medicine Hat Tigers won the President's Cup as playoff champions before going on to win the 1987 Memorial Cup tournament.
The 1984–85 WHL season was the 19th season of the Western Hockey League (WHL), featuring fourteen teams and a 72-game regular season. In their third season since joining the WHL, the Prince Albert Raiders put together a dominant run, winning 58 games and the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for best regular season record. In the playoffs, the Raiders won the President's Cup, defeating the Kamloops Blazers in the championship series. The Raiders thus earned a berth at the 1985 Memorial Cup tournament, where they won the Memorial Cup title.
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