Thus far in 2022-23, Brayden Yager has 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists) and has earned a rating of +6 with Moose Jaw in the WHL (3rd place in the East Division, 13 points in front of Connor Bedard’s Regina Pats). Also, he recorded 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) at the 2022-23 Hlinka Gretzky Cup for gold-medalist Team Canada.
With respect to Eduard Sale, he has recorded 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) and is a -9 in 43 games so far this season for HC Kometa Brno in Czechia’s top professional league. This is following the 2021-22 campaign in which he recorded 89 points (42 goals, 47 assists) in 39 games at the U20 level in Czechia prior to his promotion. Also, while competing in the 2022-23 Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Czechia, he tallied 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) in 5 games. Sale also had 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 7 games at this season’s world juniors, with a rating of +6.
For me, Sale is slightly ahead of Yager. Not only has he performed very well at both the junior and professional levels in Czechia, he has also displayed much consistency at the international level at both the U18 and U20 levels. I would be remiss, however, in failing to mention the fact that Yager outperformed Sale on the score sheet at the most recent Hlinka Gretzky Cup. That is a tribute to the very small details separating this year’s top prospects.