Two young defenceman, one unforgettable home opener

Carter Yakemchuk might have had a more typical game-day than Hoyt Stanley did on Thursday, but make no mistake, the 21-year-old is still getting used to the entire NHL experience — though his highlight-reel game-winning goal late in the third period of Thursday’s home opener could easily convince fans otherwise.

Travis Green admitted after the game that the defenceman will have nights where he isn’t at his best as he grows accustomed to the competition — including parts of Thursday’s home opener. But his goal showcased exactly why Yakemchuk kept getting sent over the boards in the third period of a tied game.

“He fumbled the puck a few times on the power play, probably wasn’t quite at his best. But you know, sometimes you’ve just got to stick with those guys a little bit, and they’re going to have some nights where they’re really good; they’re going to have some nights where they’re not great,” said Green on Thursday night.

“But if you know you’ve got a special talent, you hope it comes through. And I think tonight was a great example that it’d be easy to just not play them, or put someone else out there, but we stuck with him, [assistant coach Ben Sexton] stuck with him, it was a good decision by him to keep him out there. Good players find ways to come up in key moments of the game, he definitely did tonight, like he has before.”

Through his first nine NHL games — four last regular season, one last postseason, and all four this year — the 6-foot-3 defenceman has two goals and six points. 

“I'm getting more comfortable. I still think that there's some times where I need to just simplify my game a little bit,” said Yakemchuk after taking part in an optional practice on Friday morning at Canadian Tire Centre.

“I feel like I'm getting more comfortable as the games go on and getting more chemistry with all the guys by playing with them, so it’s been good.”

Because he only joined Ottawa last March for their playoff push, Yakemchuk had never experienced anything like the festivities that accompanied the home opener, such as the red carpet or player introductions. 

Thankfully though, he has a veteran to lean on at home in 24-year-old Ridly Greig, who took the defenceman in this year and has been helping him with the finer details of NHL life.

“He’s not been around for a long time, but he’s been around for a while, and he kind of knows everything. So being able to ask him questions or him just kind of helping me out in little ways has been great,” said Yakemchuk, who arrived at the red carpet with Greig ahead of the game.

“I think it's super cool. I mean, all the people that come and support us, they were so excited to see all the players come through. So yeah, I've never really been a part of something like that, so it was super cool,” said Yakemchuk.

The support was cool, indeed, but still pale in comparison to the reaction for Yakemchuk’s first NHL goal on home ice. The normally-stoic defenceman even celebrated the moment by pumping his fist with one knee on the ice as the sellout crowd let out a collective “Woo-hoo.”

Meanwhile, for Stanley, who arrived in Ottawa as a late fill-in for Cam Crotty, there were no such highs to put a bow on the home opener — but the night was certainly still what dreams were made of. Stanley tried to stay locked into the game but did give himself a couple chances to take in the atmosphere.

“I think definitely near the start of the game, I was kind of trying to dial in a little more, and wasn’t really thinking, and then [during] a couple stoppages, just looking around the rink and seeing how high up it goes with people and it’s all packed, it was pretty cool. I was trying to take it in a little bit,” said Stanley.

The morning after his first NHL game, the emotions were able to flow a bit more freely as he thought about his proud parents, back home in Vancouver, who weren’t able to be at the game on such short notice.

“Just thinking about the kind of journey I’ve been on, I guess a lot of guys around the league probably said the same thing, the sacrifices of their parents. In my case, especially, [they’ve] definitely been my rocks through it all,” said Stanley.

“So even at times, I kind of get a little emotional with them, just thinking about everything, all the ups and downs, sort of. Even though I’m 21, there has been a lot of ups and downs throughout my career. But at the same time, trying to dial in for the game and not get too emotional about it all.”

Even more impressive than Stanley not looking out of place on an NHL ice surface despite the eight professional games under his belt heading in was that he was playing in a game between veteran-laden teams that had both made the playoffs last season.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool. I just think before the game, even during the intermissions and stuff, there was a lot of buzz. Just guys kind of like just talking to the group, like ‘let's do this’, like, ‘let's put a foot on the gas here’, sort of thing,” said Stanley, a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. 

“Everyone was pretty excited for the game and wanted to win a lot. So, it was it was cool to see how competitive the guys are and how bad they wanted to win last night.”

Should the 21-year-old play more games in Ottawa this year, he won’t have to replicate the same game day routine as he did on Thursday, when he stopped at the Brockville Metro grocery store on his way from Belleville to Ottawa to pick up a takeout meal consisting of chicken, potatoes, and carrots. 

“Even in Belleville in the morning, we had a pretty tough workout with the younger guys, and it was just kind of a perfect storm, I guess, in terms of how you’d want to prepare for a game,” said Stanley, who got the call from the Senators just before noon.

“But at the same time, [there] wasn’t a lot of time to get in my head about it all, so almost better that way, maybe.”

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