Carter Yakemchuk

Carter Yakemchuk ( ; born September 29, 2005) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted seventh overall by the Senators in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Yakemchuk was drafted 65th overall in the third round of the 2020 Western Hockey League (WHL) bantam draft by the Calgary Hitmen. In his rookie WHL season in 2021–22, Yakemchuk recorded four goals and 12 points, and was named Hitmen rookie of the year.

Following the 2022–23 season, in which he recorded 19 goals and 47 points, Yakemchuk was named to the WHL Central Division second all-star team.

In the 2023–24 season, Yakemchuk was selected as one of 40 draft-eligible players to play in the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He was named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending January 28, 2024. On February 21, 2024, Yakemchuk set the Hitmen record for single-season goals by a defenceman, netting his 25th of the season against the Edmonton Oil Kings to surpass the previous mark set by Jake Bean.

Entering the 2024 NHL entry draft, Yakemchuk was considered a consensus first round pick, ranked sixth among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in their midseason rankings. Although scouts generally ranked him no lower than 10th overall, some had him as high as third. Yakemchuk was ultimately drafted by the Ottawa Senators at seventh overall. He was later signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Senators on August 6, 2024.

Yakemchuk made his professional debut in the 2025-26 season with the Belleville Senators after attending Ottawa's training camp. After several injuries to Ottawa's defencemen, he was called up to Ottawa on March 24, 2026. That night, Yakemchuk played his first NHL game and scored his first NHL goal and assist. After several games with Ottawa, and the recovery from injury of several of Ottawa's players, he was returned to Belleville. Later that season, in Ottawa's first round playoff matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes, he was called up for game four to replace an injured Jake Sanderson and tallied two assists.

International play

Yakemchuk represented Canada at the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2021–22 Calgary Hitmen WHL 56 4 9 13 14 — — — — — 2022–23 Calgary Hitmen WHL 67 19 28 47 31 5 0 3 3 10 2023–24 Calgary Hitmen WHL 66 30 41 71 120 — — — — — 2024–25 Calgary Hitmen WHL 56 17 32 49 82 11 2 5 7 4 2025–26 Belleville Senators AHL 54 10 30 40 36 — — — — — 2025–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 4 1 1 2 2 1 0 2 2 0NHL totals 4 1 1 2 2 1 0 2 2 0

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2023 Canada U18 7 0 0 0 2Junior totals 7 0 0 0 2

Awards and honours Award Year RefWHL Central Division Second All-Star Team 2023