He briefly played in the National Hockey League, appearing in six games with the Boston Bruins in 1959, becoming only the second American-developed player to appear in the NHL during the 1950s. He played minor pro hockey until his retirement in 1964. In 1960-61, Yackel won the Leo Lamoureux Trophy as the leading scorer in the International Hockey League. Yackel was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1986.