Kailer Yamamoto

Kailer Yamamoto
Yamamoto with the Seattle Kraken in 2023
Born (1998-09-29) September 29, 1998
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Utah Mammoth
Tucson Roadrunners (AHL)
Edmonton Oilers
Seattle Kraken
NHL draft 22nd overall, 2017
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2017–present

Kailer Yamamoto (born September 29, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Junior

Yamamoto played in the 2011 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Los Angeles Selects minor ice hockey team.[1] He later played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. Yamamoto had racked up 40 points in only 34 games. He would then go on to play in the Western Hockey League.

Yamamoto was selected in the fifth round, 105th overall in the 2013 WHL bantam draft by his hometown team, the Spokane Chiefs.[2] In his rookie season with the Chiefs, in 2014–15, he posted 23 goals and 57 points in 68 games.[3] He was a top scorer at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament for Team USA.

Yamamoto was one of three WHL players invited to participate in the 2016 CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game.[4] During the 2016–17 season, Yamamoto was named WHL Player of the Week week ending October 30, 2016, for registering seven points in four games.[5] He was named to the 2016–17 Western Conference Second All-Star Team after ranking 6th overall in scoring with 42 goals and 57 assists for 99 points.[6]

Professional

On June 23, 2017, Yamamoto was drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2017 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers. At the time, he drew comparisons to the Calgary Flames' Johnny Gaudreau (drafted 2011), particularly due to their similarity in size and playing style.[7]

After an impressive training camp with the Oilers, Yamamoto made the opening night roster for the 2017–18 season. He made his regular-season debut on October 4, 2017, against the Calgary Flames in a 3–0 win, and recorded his first career point, an assist, on October 14 on an Adam Larsson goal against the Ottawa Senators. After playing his ninth game with the Oilers and recording 3 assists, Yamamoto was returned to Spokane to continue his development at the major junior level on November 6, 2017.[8]

The Oilers included Yamamoto on their 25-player roster at the start of the 2018–19 season.[9] He recorded his first NHL goal on October 18, in a 3–2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins.[10]

As a restricted free agent following the 2021–22 season, Yamamoto avoided arbitration with the Oilers after re-signing to a two-year, $3.1 million per year contract extension on August 4, 2022.[11]

After being sent back to Edmonton for injury reevaluation on November 10, 2022[12] while the team was on a road trip, Yamamoto remained out with an undisclosed injury, missing 7 games. Yamamoto was placed on injured reserve on November 27.[13] He was activated off injured reserve on December 5.[14] and scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season on December 9, in a game against the Minnesota Wild.[15] Yamamoto was again placed on [long-term] injured reserve on January 17, 2023.[14] He returned to play in a regular-season game against the New York Rangers on February 17.[16] In the 15 games he played in upon his return from LTIR, he tallied 5 goals and 1 assist in a combined total of 249:49 of ice-time.[16] On March 3, he scored the fastest 2 goals (40 seconds apart) by an Oilers player since Taylor Hall in October 2013.[17]

On April 29, Yamamoto scored the series-clinching goal late in the third period of Game 6 of the Oilers' first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings.[18]

On June 29, Yamamoto was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, along with Klim Kostin, in exchange for future considerations.[19] A day later, he was placed on unconditional waivers by the Red Wings for the purposes of a buy out.[20]

On July 2, Yamamoto signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Seattle Kraken.[21] In the 2023–24 season, Yamamoto made 59 regular season appearances with the Kraken, however was unable to replicate his previous offensive levels, contributing with a career low 16 points.

As an un-signed free agent over the summer, Yamamoto accepted an invitation to attend the Utah Mammoth training camp for the 2024–25 season on a professional tryout on September 12, 2024.[22] Following a successful preseason, with three goals in four games, Yamamoto signed a one-year contract with Utah on October 6, 2024.[23]

While playing for the Utah Mammoth's AHL affiliate team, the Tucson Roadrunners, Yamamoto was suspended for the March 8 game against the Bakersfield Condors, as a result of a spearing incident on March 7th.[24]

International play

At the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Yamamoto scored 13 points in 7 games, including 7 goals, helping Team USA win bronze.[25]

Yamamoto was selected to the Team America's under-20 team for the 2018 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, New York, winning bronze.

Personal life

Through his paternal grandfather, Yamamoto is of Japanese descent.[26] Yamamoto and his older brother, Keanu, were taught to skate by Tyler Johnson's mother and would later train with Johnson in his offseason.[27] He is a native of Spokane, Washington.[28][29]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2013–14 Los Angeles Jr. Kings T1EHL 34 17 23 40 14 — — — — —
2014–15 Spokane Chiefs WHL 68 23 34 57 50 6 2 3 5 6
2015–16 Spokane Chiefs WHL 57 19 52 71 34 6 1 4 5 10
2016–17 Spokane Chiefs WHL 65 42 57 99 46 — — — — —
2017–18 Edmonton Oilers NHL 9 0 3 3 2 — — — — —
2017–18 Spokane Chiefs WHL 40 21 43 64 18 7 1 3 4 6
2018–19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 17 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
2018–19 Bakersfield Condors AHL 27 10 8 18 16 — — — — —
2019–20 Bakersfield Condors AHL 23 8 8 16 16 — — — — —
2019–20 Edmonton Oilers NHL 27 11 15 26 12 4 0 0 0 6
2020–21 Edmonton Oilers NHL 52 8 13 21 26 4 0 1 1 2
2021–22 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 20 21 41 40 14 2 5 7 10
2022–23 Edmonton Oilers NHL 58 10 15 25 24 12 1 3 4 18
2023–24 Seattle Kraken NHL 59 8 8 16 18 — — — — —
2024–25 Utah Hockey Club NHL 12 2 1 3 2 — — — — —
2024–25 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 54 20 36 56 41 3 1 0 1 10
NHL totals 315 60 77 137 126 34 3 9 12 36

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 United States U17 6 3 3 6 2
2015 United States IH18 5th 4 4 3 7 14
2016 United States U18 7 7 6 13 12
2018 United States WJC 7 2 2 4 4
Junior totals 24 16 14 30 32

Awards and honors

Award Year
WHL
West Second All-Star Team 2017 [6]

References

  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Stuart, Hannah. "Five things to know about 2017 Draft prospect Kailer Yamamoto". Today Slap Shot. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Landvogt, Chapin. "(Video) 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament: Kailer Yamamoto, USA". Hockeys Future. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  4. ^ .com, kxly. "Chiefs' Yamamoto named to All-American Prospects Game". kxly. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  5. ^ HOCKEY LEAGUE, WESTERN. "Chiefs' forward Kailer Yamamoto named WHL Player of the Week". WHL. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Chiefs, Spokane. "Kailer Yamamoto named to WHL 2nd All-Star team". khq. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  7. ^ "Is Yamamoto the next Gaudreau?". thehockeynews.com. August 4, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "Oilers take long view on Kailer Yamamoto, send him back to major junior". edmontonjournal. Edmonton Journal. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "NHL opening night rosters for 2018-19 season". NHL.com. October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Wilkins, Reid (October 19, 2018). "Edmonton Oilers win third straight with OT victory over Boston in home opener". globalnews.ca. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  11. ^ O'Leary, Sean (August 4, 2022). "Oilers sign Yamamoto to 2-year, $6.2M contract". theScore. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  12. ^ "Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto returns to Edmonton for injury evaluation". OilersNation. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Edmonton Oilers place Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod on IR; recall James Hamblin, Tyler Benson". OilersNation. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "Kailer Yamamoto Transactions - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps". CapFriendly. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Oilers' Kailer Yamamoto: Gets first goal of 2022-23". CBSSports.com. December 10, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Kailer Yamamoto Stats and News". NHL.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "EDM Records". records.nhl.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Elliott: Kings' season of promise ends in a repeat of playoff loss to Oilers". Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Yamamoto, Kostin traded to Red Wings by Oilers". NHL.com. June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Detroit Red Wings' Steve Yzerman decides what to do with Kailer Yamamoto: Buy him out". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  21. ^ DeRosa, Michael (July 2, 2023). "Kraken Sign Kailer Yamamoto to 1-Year Contract". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Bagley, Cole (September 11, 2024). "Utah Hockey Club Signs Kailer Yamamoto To Professional Tryout". KSL Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  23. ^ "Yamamoto signs 1-year, 2-way contract with Utah Hockey Club". nhl.com. October 6, 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  24. ^ "Roadrunners' Yamamoto suspended one game". theAHL.com. The American Hockey League. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  25. ^ Kennedy, Ryan (August 4, 2016). "THE NEXT JOHNNY GAUDREAU? MEET KAILER YAMAMOTO". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  26. ^ GOSEI KAILER YAMAMOTO DRAFTED TO THE EDMONTON OILERS
  27. ^ Horton, Josh. "Spokane's Kailer and Keanu Yamamoto forge lasting bond through hockey". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  28. ^ "Kailer Yamamoto thrilled with the opportunity to return to his hockey roots in Seattle". www.nhlpa.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  29. ^ "Spokane's Kailer Yamamoto back in NHL with Utah Hockey Club". Spokesman.com. April 3, 2025. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
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