Roadrunners' Yamamoto taking advantage of time in Tucson

Tucson Roadrunners forward Kailer Yamamoto was waived and sent down from the NHL, but it has “worked out for the best.”

In nine games for the Roadrunners, Yamamoto has 11 points and currently has a six-game points streak.

After four full seasons in the NHL, the Utah Hockey Club placed the Spokane, Wash. native on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to the Roadrunners. After he cleared waivers, he joined Tucson.

“It’s weird,” Yamamoto said, “Yeah, to get waived, not know if you’re gonna get picked up by a team or get sent down.

“Obviously lots of nerves, lots of anxiety going into it, but I think it worked out for the best, I like it down here in Tucson,” he added.

Yamamoto assisted on forward Andrew Agozzino’s game-winning goal in overtime on Wednesday night as Tucson beat the Coachella Valley Firebirds 4-3. Yamamoto is tied with Agozzino and forward Egor Sokolov for the Roadrunners’ longest points streak of the season.

Yamamoto has three goals, six assists and nine points during the streak.

“I thought I’ve been playing good,” Yamamoto said. “The last two games I could have been a little bit better, but that’s the way she goes and I thought I played OK.”

Yamamoto gets a chance to extend his points streak when the Roadrunners (9-8) visit the San Diego Gulls (4-11-1-1) for one game on Saturday night.

The 26-year-old was picked in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 draft.

Yamamoto has four goals and seven assists since Utah sent him down.

“He has responded well, he’s an elite player, he’s an elite person,” said Tucson head coach Steve Potvin. “Sometimes it can sting a little bit to come down to the American League after five years playing in the NHL. He fully anticipated it and hoped to get an NHL spot and be a full-time player.

“So those were his expectations and his thoughts and it’s difficult to come down in the American Hockey League and try to play where your feet are. Kudos to him and we were proud of his effort and I’m glad that he’s a part of our team.”

He’s played in at least nine games in the NHL for seven seasons, six of which were with the Edmonton Oilers and last year with the Seattle Kraken.

“He can he can finish at a real high rate and he’s got a really high hockey IQ and he can get in and out of some really tough situations,” Potvin said. “He can make complex plays under pressure and he’s been Johnny on the spot. He’s been able to capitalize on the chances that he’s had, and he’s been effective on the wall.

“He’s buying into the system here and he’s playing where his feet are right now,” he added. “It’s great to see.”

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Yamamoto joined Utah Hockey Club on a tryout contract before signing a one-year, two-way deal on Oct. 6.

“He’s a great player,” said Tucson captain Austin Poganski. “I’m lucky enough to play with him the last couple of games and I think we’ve had some good success, so to have that guy in the power play, penalty kill anywhere on the ice, he’s dynamic, he can score, he can set up plays and his ability to play and defense, too, he’s a great player for us and we’re lucky to have him.”

This year in the NHL, Yamamoto played in three games and didn’t tally any points but getting to play more and add to his stats again has appealed to Yamamoto.

“It’s nice,” Yamamoto said. “You can definitely get into the rhythm of a game a lot easier, so yeah, it’s been really good.”

Yamamoto last played in the AHL in the 2019-20 season for the Bakersfield Condors. He played two seasons there.

“I think it’s the same league,” Yamamoto said. “I obviously haven’t played in a while but no, a lot of good players still.

“It’s a younger league, so it’s a little bit different, but it’s a good league,” he added.

Slapshots

On Tuesday, Utah Hockey Club loaned Tucson forward Milos Kelemen and defenseman Patrik Koch to the Czechia Extraliga.

Kelemen went to HC Dynamo Pardubice, and Koch was loaned to HC Ocelári Trinec.

This seaso,n Kelemen had six points in 11 games for Tucson. Last year, the Slovak had 32 points and 16 goals for the Roadrunners.

Kelemen played six seasons in Europe before coming to Tucson, playing in Slovakia and Czechia. He also won a bronze medal for Slovakia at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Koch played in 10 of Tucson’s first 15 despite getting called up to the NHL on Oct. 16. He didn’t appear in any games for Utah while in the NHL.

He came to Tucson last season and made his NHL debut on March 7.

Before coming to the Roadrunners, he played in eight seasons in the Slovak or Czech leagues. He also played for Slovakia at the 2024 World Championship.