Internationally, Yakovlev was part of the Russian team on numerous occasions, winning the 2014 IIHF World Championships,[1] as well as the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

He was the first player signed by the club after the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash that killed the majority of its roster six weeks earlier.

[1] On 21 May 2018, Yakovlev signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).

[7] Yakovlev split the season between New Jersey and Binghamton, finishing with 2 goals and 7 points in 25 games in the NHL.

As an impending free agent, Yakovlev left the Devils in order to return to continue his career in the KHL, signing a two-year contract with hometown club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, on 15 May 2019.