Penguins Top Prospect Wins Coveted CHL Award
The Pittsburgh Penguins have high expectations for their top prospect, and he keeps exceeding them.
PITTSBURGH – Brayden Yager capped off his first year as the top prospect in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization by winning a major award in minor hockey. Yager was selected as the CHL’s Sportsman of the Year.
For the last two seasons, Yager has won a similar award at the WHL level with the Moose Jaw Warriors. The 2024 Sportsman of the Year is Yager’s second ever CHL award after being chosen as Rookie of the Year in 2021-22.
Yager appeared in 57 games for the Warriors and picked up an astounding 95 points. Over that time, he only calculated 20 total penalty minutes.
2023-24 was big for Yager as he helped lead the Warriors to their first ever WHL championship and first trip to the Memorial Cup Tournament. The Warriors failed to advance to the championship round, but Yager had a great run.
In four games, Yager scored three goals and three assists for six total points. In the 20 WHL playoff games, Yager scored 27 points.
The Penguins maintain their high expectations for Yager and these numbers and awards help show the kind of player he can be at the NHL level. A versatile forward who shouldn’t take too many penalties. If he puts up a good camp and preseason, it’s possible Yager starts the 2024-25 season on the NHL roster.
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