QA with Willie Yanakeff

Will Yanakeff has had a roller coaster 16 months leading up to the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The roller coaster had largely been up, but in March 2009 it went down when he was dismissed from the U.S. National Team Development Program for a team rules violation, thus relinquishing his spot on one of the most scouted teams on the planet. Shortly thereafter, he had surgery to repair a hip that had been bothering him for a couple years. The roller coaster went back up when he landed with the Sioux City Musketeers for the 2009-10 season was selected to play for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge, but the coaster went back down when he and his teammates blew 4-1 lead in the first game of the tournament and lost 4-5 in a shootout to Canada East and Eric Mihalik instead led Team USA to the gold. Once again, the roller coaster went back up when Yanakeff won four straight starts upon his return from the Challenge, but it went down in mid-January when Yanakeff had to leave the Musketeers and return home to rehab his hip again. Yanakeff was traded to the Waterloo Black Hawks Feb. 6 while still home rehabbing his hip, and the coaster appeared to be going back up after he was named USHL Goaltender of the Week March 29 after two consecutive shutouts and appeared on the verge of grabbing the reins as the number one goalie for the Hawks, but a poor performance the final weekend of the season handed C.J. Motte the reins for the playoffs instead, as Yanakeff did not play in any of Waterloo's three-game sweep at the hands of the Green Bay Gamblers.

Despite the roller coaster season, Yanakeff still has a shot at selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He's a goalie with good size who has proven himself to be solid technically and looks to be going to a good situation at Michigan State. There he'll be able to develop steadily apprenticing behind former USHL Goaltender of the Year and USA Hockey Goalie of the Year Drew Palmisano for two years and then likely taking the reins for the Spartans.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to talk with Willie Yanakeff at the conclusion of the USHL regular season. The young goaltender discussed his season in the USHL, his trade from Sioux City to Waterloo, the progress he's made on rehabbing his hip, the lessons he's learned from his dismissal from the USNTDP, his commitment to Michigan State, his minor hockey, and the NHLers he looks up to most.

McKeen's: Well, the regular season is over, and you've played in a couple places. How would you say 2009-10 has been for Willie Yanakeff.

Yanakeff: Umm, you know? It's been average, I guess. I mean, everybody wants to be better. You can be happy at some points, and there's always downs, but I think it's been alright.

McKeen's: You were Goalie of the Week last week. You won't follow that up this week, but that happens. So, like you said, ups and downs. You started the season with Sioux City, and you we're splitting time with Matt Skoff, except during the injury, but you were traded to Waterloo at the roster freeze deadline. How and when did you find out about the trade and what was your reaction?

Yanakeff: Well, I'd actually left Sioux City for a month because I was home. I was trying to rehab an injury. I had surgery on my hip about a year ago and I was trying to rehab it, because it was bothering me a little bit. I found out then. Coach gave me a call and basically said, "We're looking to trade you," and I said, "Fine." Then, they got in touch with Waterloo, and everything's clicked. I love it here so far.

McKeen's: They do have good crowds here in Waterloo, that's for sure.

Yanakeff: Oh, yeah. Best part about it.

McKeen's: As you mentioned, you did go back home to work on the hip, have it looked at. What were you able to do back home to help you be able to come back this season?

Yanakeff: Well, the doctor said no skating while I was home. So, I couldn't skate for a month. I was basically just in the rehab center doing rehab with the trainers and trying to work hard to get back into shape. It was kind of rough coming back after having a month off, not skating at all. But, I just wanted to come back and try to do as best as I could.

McKeen's: As you mentioned, that was something that bothered you last year and that you had surgery for. Did a particular incident create that or was that just something that developed over time?

Yanakeff: It's something that when I make certain movements, it starts to bother me. It's something in my hip, a piece of cartilage that will click every time I make a certain movement, and it was bothering me almost every practice, back last year when I was in Ann Arbor. So, it's something I needed to get taken care of. It was too much. I couldn't take any more of it. I've been dealing with it for probably three years now.

McKeen's: What's the solution to that sort of thing?

Yanakeff: Well, they told me the surgery was going to be the solution. That's what they always tell you, I guess. It's helped, definitely. It's not as bad as it was, but it's still bothering me a little bit. It's still lingering.

McKeen's: What are the plans then for this summer in terms of the hip, but then also training in general?

Yanakeff: During the summer, I try to take some time off, just try to enjoy the warm weather. The seasons get long during the winter. So, just try to train, enjoy the summer, get a job, earn some money.

McKeen's: There you go. Any plans for further surgeries?

Yanakeff: I don't think so. Right now, I'm not looking at that. I went home and rehabbed and everything and it felt 100 percent after that. So, I think that's just something I'm going to have to continue with, just to keep rehabbing it and keep after it.

McKeen's: Last year, you played with the U.S. National Development Team, and now you've played with two USHL organizations. So, in what ways does playing for a USHL team differ from playing for the Program?

Yanakeff: You know? It's different in a lot of ways, but they also have their similarities. They're all well-organized organizations. Everybody has a good organization in the USHL, good fans. There's not really much in terms of difference. It's pretty much the same thing. It's a group guys from all around the country that compete for the same goals.

McKeen's: Last year, the Program played in the North American Hockey League, and this year the Under-17's are jumping into the USHL. Can you imagine jumping into the USHL competition as a U-17?

Yanakeff: Yeah, it's got to be tough on them. They're coming in, 16 years old, coming straight out of Triple-A hockey, some prep school, some high school. It's got to be tough, but it definitely was, I think, a lot easier, the transition from amateur to the NAHL. It's a smaller league. It's not as big as the USHL. But, I think they've handled it well, though. I think they're doing pretty well. I think they're starting to pick it up. They're looking pretty good now.

McKeen's: During the course of the past two years, between your time at the Program and in the USHL, in what areas of your game have you improved in the most and how?

Yanakeff: Probably just competing. Just being out there and competing for every shot, trying to make saves. That was basically the one part of my game that I needed to improve and its one part of the game that I have.

McKeen's: Likewise, what would you say are the areas of your game that you need to improve on the most heading forward to take your game to the next level?

Yanakeff: Probably just being out, square to the puck, just being aggressive and trying to stay confident in myself, knowing that I can make the saves that I need to make. That's about it.

McKeen's: Prior to the past two years, you'd been used to being "the man." Then, last year, you were with Jack Campbell, and then you split time with Skoff, and you've kind of split time with C.J. [Motte]. So, what's it like being in a platoon situation?

Yanakeff: It's nice. It's nice to play the games and having someone to rely on in case something happens with injuries or something like that. But, it's been good. It's been treating me good so far.

McKeen's: This is kind of a tough question to ask you. But, last year, you and Stuart Higgins were dismissed. How does the team tell you that and what was your reaction?

Yanakeff: Umm, well, they pulled us into the office and gave us a letter that said we were terminated from the program, and that was that. It was obviously really hard. The one thing that I always wanted was to go to that program and be successful and play for that jersey. But, you make mistakes. You have to live with it. You have to move on. So, you just got to deal with it and keep working hard.

McKeen's: You've kind of touched on this a bit, but what are the life lessons you learn from that sort of experience?

Yanakeff: Well, you've just got to know what it is right from wrong. My parents always tell me, "You're a smart kid and you know right from wrong." I'm sure every parent tells their kid that at some point in their lives. So, just making the right decisions.

McKeen's: You did get the chance to wear the Team USA jersey again, though, playing up at the World Junior A Challenge in Summerside. How did you find out you'd been named to that team, who told you, and what was your reaction to that?

Yanakeff: Actually, it was the beginning of the year, that's when the tournament was, and Marc Boxer, the guy who pretty much set all that stuff up, gave me and Kevin Gravel, another player from my team (Sioux City), a Michigan boy, my roommate, gave us both a call. Kind of figured it out from there and just told us what to pack and what to bring and stuff like that.

McKeen's: You had the start in the first game. It didn't end how you would have liked, I'm sure. Tell me about the progression of that game and what happened.

Yanakeff: I was a little bit nervous before the game, a big tournament, a lot of good players. It should have been a better game. That's all I'm going to say.

McKeen's: You've played at a number of different levels in recent years. With the USA U-17 team, you played against NAHL teams and you played U-17 tournaments, and now you've played against USHL teams and the teams at the World Junior A Challenge. So, how would you say some of those levels compare to each other. How does the NAHL compare to Under-17's?

Yanakeff: It was really competitive, a lot of older guys. We were really young, 16 years

old, trying to battle with 20-year-olds. It's not easy. But, I thought we did pretty well. I thought we did decent. It was tough, but we worked through it.

McKeen's: How does the USHL compare to the NAHL?

Yanakeff: I think it's a lot more skilled. The NAHL is more run and gun. I think there's a lot more skilled guys here. Obviously, there's more guys here from overseas, and Canada even, too. They come down and play, and I think it's a great league. It's definitely more skilled and a little bit more fast-paced than the NAHL.

McKeen's: How did you find the play at the Challenge compared to the USHL?

Yanakeff: Definitely harder here. You've got guys who'll do anything, anything on the ice. The competitiveness is just unbelievable here, and then you have the crowds to add on to that. You don't get that big of crowds in the NAHL. There's just so many factors that factor into a game. It's kind of overwhelming at first. I think it's a good league.

McKeen's: You're committed to Michigan State. Is that still the plan for next year, to head to school?

Yanakeff: Yep.

McKeen's: The Barrie Colts hold your major junior rights. Would you consider going that route?

Yanakeff: At this point, I don't think so. I'm really committed to going to Michigan State. I've always wanted to go to school, get a degree, and Michigan State's 40 minutes from my house. It's close to home, a lot of my friends are going there, and it's a great organization. I've always wanted to wear a Spartan jersey. It's where I want to be.

McKeen's: With Michigan State, or the whole college process, when did colleges first start recruiting you, who else was in the running, and what really made it Michigan State in the end?

Yanakeff: I think when I started talking to college was probably my midget minor year, so I was probably 15 years old, 15 going on 16. From there, it progressed. You start talking to a little bit more schools when you get older. Then, making the USA team…

McKeen's: It kind of accelerates.

Yanakeff: Yeah, it makes it a little more intense. But, I started talking to schools, and Michigan State contacted me. It's close to home, it's a great organization, unreal there. I love it. It was the decision I decided to make. They have [Drew] Palmisano there, he's going to be a junior next year, so it's kind of a good situation. So, try to compete and go out there.

McKeen's: There's been a good string of USHL goalies that they've brought in. They've had Jeff Lerg, then Palmisano, and you're going to apprentice under him for two years, and then it'll probably be you. It's looking good for the Spartans in that regard. Going back to the beginning of your hockey career, when did you first start playing and how did you get that start?

Yanakeff: I started playing when I was (thinks)… probably when I was seven years old. I played in Jackson. I played house hockey. I started out as a forward, believe it or not. That's usually how it goes. I couldn't score, could not do anything with the puck. So, I decided to switch to goalie for one game and then from there on, I just loved it. So, I just kept going with it and progressed.

McKeen's: At what point did you become a full-time goalie?

Yanakeff: Probably squirts, because that's when I moved to Chelsea and started playing travel hockey, Double-A travel hockey there.

McKeen's: What are the different organizations that you've skated for at each of age levels growing up?

Yanakeff: Well, I skated house hockey in Jackson. Then I played travel hockey in Chelsea, and then from there I went to play Triple-A hockey for Victory Honda. I played there for about six years, or seven years. Then I moved to Honeybaked my midget minor year, to play there, and then to USA and then I came here.

McKeen's: How many years did you play in Jackson? One?

Yanakeff: Yeah, probably one or two. I was really young, seven and eight years old.

McKeen's: And Chelsea?

Yanakeff: I think it was two years there.

McKeen's: It's your draft year, and your name's still in the running for the draft. So, if I were a director of amateur scouting for an NHL team, or a regional scout advising my director, what are some reasons I should consider drafting Will Yanakeff in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft?

Yanakeff: I'm big, competitive, make saves, consistent. That's all I can really think of right now.

McKeen's: Players of your caliber often have representation. Since you're on the college track, it'd be a family advisor. If I might ask, do you have a family advisor and, if so, whom?

Yanakeff: Yeah, I do. His name is Eddie Ward.

McKeen's: He has a few of you guys in the USHL.

Yanakeff: Yep. He's got Nick Ebert, who's on our team. He's got Kevin Gravel, who's my old roommate in Sioux City. He's got a quite a few guys.

McKeen's: So Nick picked Eddie?

Yanakeff: Yeah.

McKeen's: Last time I talked to Nick he was still mulling things over. What's Eddie been telling you this year? What's he been saying lately?

Yanakeff: Just keep working hard, just try to compete for every shot and play your game. That's basically what he says, just play your game. Compete and play hard, and stay focused.

McKeen's: Lastly, to finish up with a softball question, how were some of your favorite players growing up and why and who are some of the goaltenders today who you feel you're similar to or that you'd like to equate to?

Yanakeff: When I was growing up, I loved Chris Osgood. I was a big Red Wings fans. So, I loved Chris Osgood, Steve Yzerman, all of those guys. Now? Who would I compare myself, too (thinks)? I can't really think of any, to be honest with you.

McKeen's: Too busy playing to watch?

Yanakeff: Yeah. Honestly, I don't even get to watch that much NHL.