Nate Yellowaga:
Projection: Bottom 4 Defence
Strengths: Skating, Hockey IQ, Playmaking
Weaknesses: Positional lapses, Details
Analysis:
Nate Yellowaga is a gifted skater who can do a little bit of
everything. I would put him in the running for the best skater in this
entire draft class, having super strong edge control, a perfectly
fluid stride, and great agility and power in his skating. Watching him
skate around the ice looks like he’s effortlessly flowing around like
a river, rarely having trouble getting around the ice to loose pucks
or following the puck carrier around. He has a great hockey IQ to
complement his skating, reading plays and anticipating where the puck
is going to go next to stay one step ahead and get into the proper
position quickly. His IQ also helps with his vision and playmaking,
being able to make one-touch or no-look passes with ease or finding
the best play available once he receives the puck. Defensively, he is
good at containing and applying pressure to his opponents, clogging up
passing and shooting lanes, and has a willingness to block shots and
sacrifice his body for his goalie.
For the most part, my only concern with Yellowaga’s game is his
details. Because I find him to be super well rounded and able to do a
little bit of everything, the best way for him to improve his game for
me would be ironing out the kinks and focusing on the details. He
could become a more consistent outlet passer when breaking out of his
own zone, develop some more strength to win board and net front
battles more consistently, and work on his quick decision making as
there are some instances where he makes a poor choice that leads to an
opportunity against. Those are just several examples, but pretty much
every detail in his game could be worked on to some extent. The other
big flaw would be the occasional positional lapse he has. He has a
strange tendency to sometimes just completely ignore his assignment in
his own zone or attempt to join the rush before his team even has
control of the puck. Why this occurs, I’m not too certain, but it’s a
noticeable flaw that needs to be improved upon for sure.