Jets trade not only lands Yager, but dozens of his fans from across the Prairies

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This article was published 23/08/2024 (403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The trade was officially one-for-one, a swap of top forward prospects between a pair of NHL clubs.

But it would appear the Winnipeg Jets acquired much more than just Brayden Yager on Thursday in a deal that sent Rutger McGroarty to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Turns out a segment of the Prairies may be coming our way along with the Saskatoon-born skater.

“I’ve gotten tons of texts. My Mom and Dad are super excited. My billet family in Moose Jaw. So many cousins and friends and family friends from different areas around Saskatchewan and Alberta,” Yager told the Free Press on Friday.

“Everyone is pretty excited to be able to come and watch games.”

Yager, 19, says he’s pumped, too, even if his initial reaction brought about a slightly different reaction.

“It was kind of a shocker,” he admitted.

“I answered the phone and (Penguins general manager) Kyle Dubas told me I had been involved in a trade. You don’t really know what to say. But the more you think about it, having it be to Winnipeg, the more excited you get.”

His phone also lit up with texts from Jets captain Adam Lowry and alternates Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey.

“They made me feel pretty welcome. That was pretty awesome,” Yager said.

Parting ways with Yager, selected 14th-overall by Pittsburgh in 2023, was a tough pill to swallow for the Penguins. But you have to move quality to get quality, and the chance to land the disgruntled McGroarty from Winnipeg — he had indicated he wouldn’t be signing with the club that selected him 14th-overall in 2022 for undisclosed reasons — did the trick.

“We had a difficult decision to make with this trade because we hold Brayden Yager in such a high regard as a person and prospect,” Dubas said Thursday in a statement. “After much consideration, we decided that the opportunity to add Rutger McGroarty was ultimately in the best interest of the Penguins.”

Now the focus in Winnipeg shifts to Yager, who tore up the Western Hockey League last season with 95 points (35 goals, 60 assists) in 57 regular-season games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, then added 27 points (11G, 16A) in 20 playoff games for the league champions.

“It was a really successful year. As a group it was really cool to kind of grow up together starting from the COVID year and go through the adversity of losing in the playoffs two years in a row to kind of pushing through it and winning the championship,” Yager said.

“I think personally, there was a lot of times where we were playing on a big stage — whether it was TSN games, or during the playoffs — big stages, big moments, tight series, the World Juniors, the Memorial Cup —where I had tons of opportunity to show that I can play on a big stage. I think that can only help me make the jump to the next level.”

Speaking of which, could that be as early as this coming season? At 19, Yager isn’t eligible to play in the American Hockey League, so it’s NHL or back to junior.

“The goal is to come into camp ready to make the NHL,” he said.

“Make an impact on the team and try to help the team win. Coming into this summer, the goal was to do as much as I can, get as many gains as I can to prepare myself to play against men, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that.”

Adding a bit more bulk to his 5-foot-11 frame has been a goal, and he’s now sitting around 180 pounds.

“In the NHL you’re playing against some good, strong players,” he said.

“I think gaining weight while still maintaining your speed is the biggest thing. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that. I feel really good on the ice. I’m excited to get to camp and try to make the staff’s decision a hard one.”

His current hockey idols are Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Brayden Point, who also played with Moose Jaw prior to getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We’re kind of the same height and weight. Hard-working player, can score goals and is fast and thinks the game really well. I think that’s a player I can emulate my game after really well,” he said.

Yager immediately goes near the top of a prospect pool that includes forwards Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Chaz Lucius, who all spent last year year with the Manitoba Moose, along with 2023 first-rounder Colby Barlow.

“I think this past season, the experience I’ve gained in the playoffs and Memorial Cup…I think if I can come into camp and show that I can help the team win, then I think I’ll set myself up for success,” he said.

Barlow is one player Yager already knows from their time together in various Hockey Canada programs and camps.

“I talked to him (Thursday) when everything happened. I asked him a couple things about Winnipeg, and he had nothing but good things to say about the organization,” Yager said.

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, speaking Thursday with media, envisioned a scenario where Barlow, a winger, one day is playing on a line with Yager, a natural centre.

“It’s pretty sweet. Colby is such a good player and obviously he can score a lot of goals. I think it would be a really good opportunity and a lot of fun. It would be pretty cool to be a duo in the future,” Yager said.

“There’s a lot of good players and young prospects in the organization, and obviously a lot of good young players on the team. It’s an exciting environment to be able to join.”

One that, until now at least, he’s only watched closely on television.

“That’s one of the most exciting parts about it, just seeing the fan base that they have there,” said Yager.

“During the playoffs you get the whiteouts going. The environment there and atmosphere there seems pretty incredible once the hockey season starts. It’s definitely something I’m really looking forward to and can’t wait to be a part of it.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg