All that you say is true and I want to like him more. I want to like him more than Levshunov (who is likely to be the Ducks pick). But I guess I just can't ignore that the scouts by and large just don't like him. McKenzie's recent rankings were a perfect example...one guy has him 4th and one 5th...but all the others not even in the top 10. He has so many good qualities that the rankings shouldn't be like that so I can only assume that his faults far outweigh his attributes. In YT highlights he looks better than Levshunov...but average fans seem to like him way more than scouts. I'd love to be a believer...help me in my disbelief!!
Some of us have gone back and forth on Yakemchuk. Earlier in the year he'd do things like crosscheck a guy instead of properly defending a 2 on 1. But I hear from Simon and Pronman and folks that Yak has improved his defensive game.
Pronman by the way also had Yak top 5, and his lists generally mimic NHL scouts very closely these days. You also have plenty of internet scouts who think Yakemchuk is a disaster, I don't think of it as a pro vs internet dichotomy.
Next you’re going to tell me he has elite skating too.
I don’t dispute that Yakemchuk has elite potential (because guys with his profile and flaws can become stars like Burns and Byfuglien), but the mediocre defensive ability, average hockey IQ, and below average skating make him extremely risky. The player you paint a picture of is literally perfect and Yakemchuk is not that.
Yakemchuk's defense in his zone is potentially high end. He boxes out a huge area, and is impenetrable when shutting down the cycle. He'll be terrifying to cycle against.
And the forward skating can be very fast, albeit noisy, all he needs is a few strides.
I think there is one skating issue and one defensive issue that are really the same thing. His first couple steps backward are too slow, he's vulnerable on the rush. David Jiricek is still dealing with the same problem, it's not easy to fix.
Re his defense I explained my view already. He didn't just make stupid mistakes, he took risks. Risks he was probably even asked to take. Risks who paid off more often than not. That is important context.
His coach said he's been trying to get Carter to understand that he has to think defensively (presumably he's talking about Carter needing to be more cautious in contested puck situations at the offensive blue line).