The Avalanche drafted Yip in the 8th round, 239th overall in the
2004 NHL entry draft. He played
junior hockey with the
Coquitlam Express of the
BCHL before enrolling to play collegiate hockey with
Boston University of the
Hockey East. In his freshman year in 2005–06, Yip scored 31 points in 39 games and was named
Hockey East rookie of the year. In his junior year with the Terriers in
2007–08, Yip served an indefinite suspension for breaking team rules before returning to finish with 23 points in 37 games. After winning the
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship with the Terriers in his senior year in
2008–09, Yip graduated from Boston University with high honors with a B.S. in criminal justice. On July 22, 2009, Yip signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Avalanche. Before his first pro season in
2009–10, Yip suffered a broken hand in a pre-season game that sidelined him for the first two months of the year. He made his professional debut with the Avalanche's
American Hockey League affiliate, the
Lake Erie Monsters, for a six-game stint. Colorado recalled him on December 19, 2009, to make his NHL debut in a 5-2 home win against the
Columbus Blue Jackets. Yip scored his first goal three days later against
Jonas Hiller of the
Anaheim Ducks. In his first 22 games he scored 11 goals before suffering a separated shoulder against the
Detroit Red Wings on March 1, 2010. Yip ended his 2009-10 campaign leading all rookies in goals per game average. After finishing second on the Avalanche in playoff scoring with four points against the
San Jose Sharks in the conference quarterfinals, Yip was re-signed to a two-year contract on July 7, 2010. On November 6, 2010, he registered a
Gordie Howe hat trick during a 5-0 victory over the
Dallas Stars. During the
2011–12 season, after ten scoreless games with the Avalanche, Yip was placed on waivers and claimed by the
Nashville Predators on January 19, 2012. On January 24, he had his debut for the Predators in a 3-1 victory over the
Chicago Blackhawks. Yip established a role on the Predators lower checking lines, scoring 3 goals, including two in two games against his former club Colorado, and 7 points in 25 games. The Predators re-signed Yip to a one-year contract on June 21, 2012. In the
lockout shortened
2012–13 season, Yip transitioned quickly to contribute 5 points in his first ten games of the campaign before finishing with 8 points in 34 games. He missed the final eight games of the year due to injury. On July 19, 2013, Yip was signed as a free agent by the
Phoenix Coyotes to a one-year, two-way contract. After attending the Coyotes training camp, Yip failed to make the opening night roster and was assigned to the AHL for the first time since 2009 with affiliate, the
Portland Pirates. In the early stages of the
2013–14 season, Yip was recalled to Phoenix to appear in 2 games before he was reassigned to the Pirates for the remainder of the campaign. Unsigned into the off-season, Yip accepted an invitation to attend the
Anaheim Ducks 2014 training camp on a professional try-out contract on September 18, 2014. Yip failed to earn an NHL contract with the Ducks, however, was reassigned and signed with AHL affiliate, the
Norfolk Admirals to begin the
2014–15 season. Yip produced 12 points in 31 games with the Admirals before he was loaned to play in the
ECHL for the first time in his career with the
Utah Grizzlies on January 15, 2015. After seven games with the Grizzlies, Yip sought a release from his contract with Norfolk, and on February 6, 2015, it was announced that Yip had signed his first contract abroad with
German club
Adler Mannheim for the rest of the DEL season. On October 20, 2016, he inked a deal with another German side, putting pen to paper on a contract for the remainder of the
2016–17 campaign with
Düsseldorfer EG. As a free agent, with the ambition to follow his Chinese origins and represent at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Yip left Germany and signed a contract with Chinese club,
HC Kunlun Red Star of the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on June 5, 2017. As team captain in two of his three seasons with Kunlun, Yip was left un-signed leading into the pandemic affected
2020–21 season. On January 9, 2021, he was belatedly signed to join Finnish club,
Mikkelin Jukurit of the
Liiga, for the remainder of the season. He made 15 regular season appearances, recording 2 goals and 6 points, in his short tenure in the Liiga. As a free agent heading into an Olympic year with ambitions to appear with the Chinese national team, Yip returned to his former club, Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, on a one-year deal on July 26, 2021. On September 3, 2025 he announced his retirement before the start of the
2025–26 regular season. In that season, Kunlun Red Star rebranded as the
Shanghai Dragons. ==International play==