C/LW Kailer Yamamoto - Spokane Chiefs, WHL (2017, 22nd, EDM)
- Thread starter Mayo8898
- Start date
He's 2017 draft eligible due to a late birthday, but isn't a double underager, let alone underage.
Seems like a good player though.
Seems like a good player though.
Local kid who joined his older brother on the Chiefs after playing in LA for bantam. He's an exciting player for the Chiefs who don't really have any other draft-potential players. He's 10th in WHL rookie scoring right now despite the Chiefs playing a few less games than most other teams and missing some time for the U-17 tournament. He was added last minute to Team USA for the U-17 and was 11th in scoring for the tournament I believe. It's too early to say how he'll look in the next couple of years since he's currently really small and there's no high-end talent on the Chiefs to pair him with. I really like him though but it might just be because there's no one else on the Chiefs to pay attention to 
After his U-17 showing I think he could be getting more attention from Team USA which can only help him getting exposure and experience.
After his U-17 showing I think he could be getting more attention from Team USA which can only help him getting exposure and experience.
Mikeaveli
Registered User
R S
Registered User
- Sep 18, 2006
- 25,468
- 10
Solid little player. Small but dynamic. Thought he looked pretty good at the U-17's recently, fitting in quite well considering he was a bit of an outsider on their roster. Impossible to say where he fits in relative to the rest of his NHL Draft class though.
An update on him. With tonight's hat trick he's now 3rd in WHL rookie scoring (both players above him are 2016 eligible) and has 5 goals and 4 assists in the last 3 games. Not too bad considering he was only 15 years old when the season started. I've also been impressed by his willingness to play physically.
It's also worth re-mentioning that Spokane does not have any high-end skill supporting him. There are no drafted players on the Chiefs and there will probably not be any on this roster until Yamamoto is drafted. This is not a case of a young player being surrounded by talent and benefiting from them.
It's also worth re-mentioning that Spokane does not have any high-end skill supporting him. There are no drafted players on the Chiefs and there will probably not be any on this roster until Yamamoto is drafted. This is not a case of a young player being surrounded by talent and benefiting from them.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
wow this kid is legit. I watched the Portland \ Spokane game and as a late 98 he is the best player on Spokane by a mile...this kid doesn't look small out there either, just a buzz saw...he reminds me so much of Tyler Johnson...so much skill and so young...what a treat to watch play..the sky is the limit for this young man and more people seriously need to be talking about him.
not sure who I am impressed more with Yamamoto or DeBrincat...
not sure who I am impressed more with Yamamoto or DeBrincat...
I'm glad someone other than me bumped this
I've made the TyJo comparison as well but it might just be because they're both small talented Spokanites. I really love watching this kid. He's not afraid to make hits or get physical despite being short with a small frame. In a game last week he saw a teammate get crosschecked to the ice so he skated up and crosschecked the offender in response. He also plants himself in front of the net for rebounds and deflections. One issue right now is that he gets bumped off the puck pretty easily because of his size. In another year or so when he's grown and added more muscle he'll be able to complete more of the great zone entries and plays that he starts. He's still effective now but there's a lot of unrealized potential that hopefully he can reach when he's bigger or has adjusted to the size of the older players in the WHL. He skates very well already. They don't track TOI but I know he does get a little PK time. I'd love to see him develop like TyJo and become a solid two-way player.
Haha I have way too much to say about him but basically I'm really excited for him and in a year or two I expect him to be getting a lot more attention. Spokane isn't the most exciting team to follow so it's no surprise that he's flying under the radar for now. He's helped turn a throwaway rebuilding year into a surprising 2nd in the division season. Right now he's 2nd in rookie scoring behind Provorov who is 2015 eligible and he's on a 10 game point streak.
It's impossible to say right now. He definitely has to grow more than an inch before he's average hockey height. His listed stats are not accurate at all. With that said he has a ton of skill and a lot of time to grow. His goal scoring is pretty impressive for his age (16 in 37 games) and I expect that to improve as his strength does. At the moment his shot isn't as strong as it could be so he doesn't always challenge goalies. This is especially noticeable on breakaways which he gets quite a few of because of his skating ability. With a little more power he'd have several more goals than he does now. His accuracy is fine though. I think strength is more of an issue for his game than his height. He doesn't play like he's 5'5 or whatever he is. Of course his height will end up being important when it comes to the draft even if it shouldn't be.
It's very hard to predict an ultimate draft position for him since he's only 16 and he and his draft year have a lot of developing to do. For a direct comparison Nolan Patrick of the Wheat Kings is also 2017 eligible and is just below him as #3 in rookie scoring on a significantly better team than the Chiefs. I don't think there are any other 2017 eligible rookies that are making a significant impact. A quick glance at the OHL and QMJHL ranks didn't show any 2017 eligibles as top rookies. I'd say that Patrick and Yamamoto are ones to keep an eye on for 2017. I strongly predict that Yamamoto will be drafted in 2017 unless he regresses. He is already 41st in the WHL in scoring so in his draft year in 2 years I'd expect him to be much higher.
And now I've written another novel about him
edit- Just as a sidenote he's listed as a C/LW in the header but he's currently playing on the RW. He has played at center and may move back there later but for awhile now he's been a winger on his off-wing in order to play on the top line.
Last edited:
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
well I think he has the talent but it is hard to say with a kid like this because his draft year is so far away...2017 draft...a lot can happen in that span and a lot of times it int the best to be in the scouts radar for that long..
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
How did they miss the boat?
That u17 team is loaded and Kailer could have gotten lost in that crowd..
I think he is doing just fine in Spokane and the U.S. knows where he is hence the U17 tourney invite...
He is developing nicely and getting lots of ice time where he is...happy he went this route like his bro
He is better than some of the kids there.
He would not have gotten lost, just look at his performance at the u17.
They actually need him. He brings up everyone's game.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
I understand that he did well at the u17and that he is better then a number of kids on the team but again I dont know what line he would play on despite the rolling of the lines he would be getting far less ice time in Ann Arbor than Spokane...with Jones, Khodorenko, Keller, Pastujov, and Anderson...not sure where he would fit in to be honest...he is standing out where he is something that would be hard to with that current group imo..
Is he any good as center or would most expect him to be more of a winger down the line? I know he's small for the position, but he's young and size never bothered me much anyway
I think he has the potential to be a good center. Right now he's playing as a RW but he plays everywhere in the offensive zone. His assist in the last game came from a center position as they entered the zone(5:15). He's pretty good at faceoffs. His defensive game is okay and will hopefully improve. There was a great backcheck to stop a breakaway in yesterday's game that I was hoping would be uploaded in the highlights but it wasn't. If you have hockeystreams or another service you might want to take a look since I think it was a good example of his speed and decision making. It occurred at around 7:30 of the third period. He also had a shorthanded scoring chance a few minutes later.
Another factor in whether he'll be a center going forward is the Chiefs roster. This year he's been centered by Brooks and Stewart who are both overagers. Unless Spokane acquires more centers then I think he's likely to play there next year. They don't have anyone else currently on the team that I would want to see as the top line center next year. If there are any more injuries in the near future then he'll also likely move to center since they have 3 centers injured right now.
R S
Registered User
- Sep 18, 2006
- 25,468
- 10
Caught him last night, the first time I've seen him live.
What a fantastic player. Uber smart, so good with the puck in tight spaces. Not a very dynamic skater but has good fundamentals and is an area that should improve with added leg strength. Scored on an absolute blast of a one-timer off the rush while also setting up a pair of goals. Slick hands and he also really competes. Isn't passive.
Hate to speculate this far in advance but there is no secret that he is looking like a potential top 5-10 pick for 2017.
What a fantastic player. Uber smart, so good with the puck in tight spaces. Not a very dynamic skater but has good fundamentals and is an area that should improve with added leg strength. Scored on an absolute blast of a one-timer off the rush while also setting up a pair of goals. Slick hands and he also really competes. Isn't passive.
Hate to speculate this far in advance but there is no secret that he is looking like a potential top 5-10 pick for 2017.
William H Bonney
Registered User
Kailer will be the centerpiece of the Ivan Hlinka USA team up front along with Kieffer Bellows and Tim Gettinger. Should be interesting to see how he does there, good opportunity for him to shine again internationally.
Last edited:
