On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have signed Brayden Yager to an entry-level contract.
He was the club’s first-round pick in the 2023 Entry Draft, 14th overall, and is billed as their top prospect.
Last season with the Moose Jaw Warriors in the Western Hockey League, the 19-year-old had 35 goals and 95 points in 57 games. He won the CHL Sportsman of the Year award, plus was the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player en route to winning the league championship.
Yager recently attended the Penguins Development Camp in early July. His busy summer continues as Hockey Canada has selected him to participate in the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase from July 28 to Aug. 3.
Although Yager is expected to skate most of the upcoming season in the WHL again and possibly defend his U20 World Junior Championship Gold Medal, he may play some professional hockey, either with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or in Pittsburgh, before the end of the year.
He’s only a step or two away from the NHL through his hard work. As the Penguins’ highest draft pick since Derrick Pouliot (eighth overall) in 2012, Yager is closer to living out his hockey dreams, especially after inking his entry-level contract.
