Position: C, Shoots: L
H/W: 6’2”, 172lbs
Date of Birth: 2007-04-11
Stats to Date: 37GP – 25G – 35A – 60PTS
Caleb Desnoyers is, to me, by far the best prospect from the QMJHL since Alexis Lafrenière back in 2020. He has been dominating the QMJHL from a statistical standpoint and is on point to break the 100-point mark, which has only been achieved once by a first-year draft eligible prospect since Lafrenière (Jordan Dumais). Desnoyers has also brought his stellar consistent play to the international stage, including a point per game performance at the u18’s last year, a point per game performance at the Hlinka-Gretzky cup last summer, and a point per game performance in the two CHL/USHL top prospects game. The best thing about Desnoyers is that the statistical profile is only a slim part of what he truly brings.
If I was forced to write 100 pages on a prospect, Desnoyers would immediately jump to my mind; there are so many things to say about him. This player is well rounded to the point where he arguably doesn’t have a weakness. The path to being a top six center is crystal clear, and there are so many parts of his game that can be relied upon for it to happen. When you talk about a player who visibly “checks all the boxes”, Desnoyers checks more than arguably anyone in this draft. You want a physical player who finishes his checks? Per InStat/Hudl, he hits significantly more per 60 minutes than other Q prospects like Justin Carbonneau and Bill Zonnon, and even other top prospects like Porter Martone, Anton Frondell, Michael Misa, James Hagens, Roger McQueen, Lynden Lakovic, Malcolm Spence, … basically more than every other top prospect. You want a center who backchecks hard, disrupts the opposing rush, can play the penalty kill, supports his linemates in board battles, and makes sure the breakout flows through him? He does all of the above. You want a great skater able to create, to drive, to manipulate, and to evade with his feet? He’s got that. You want a center who elevates all of his teammates by facilitating with crisp and smart passes, with well thought-out positioning, by drawing multiple players towards him to create space, and by having a perfect sense of space and timing? He’s one of the smartest, most aware players in the draft. You want a player with upside, with some skill, with some offensive pop? You guessed it, he’s got it all.
This isn’t all. The best part is that Desnoyers keeps steadily improving in every single viewing I have had of him and his frame has yet to fill out. He will add muscle and grow into a stronger player over the coming years, and he is already standing at 6’2. There is a clear pathway for him to become a first- or second-line center.
Let’s not forget the off-ice side of things. In every interview you can find online, all of his teammates and coaches say how mature Desnoyers is, how much he wants to win, how much he makes sure everyone’s morale is up, and how social and coachable he is; basically, how big of a leader he is. Desnoyers is visibly born to be an NHL player, no matter how you look at things.
The only big knock on Desnoyers is not around a particular weakness; it’s on the arguable lack of upside. Although he is improving at the speed of light and has a lot of runway in front of him to continue to get better, when you look at other top prospects in this draft like Schaefer or Hagens, those guys are flashier, more dominant, more creative than Desnoyers is, which is why he isn’t really considered as a first overall pick. This report will highlight some of those concerns too.
Skating
You will quickly pick up on it if you haven’t already, but just like pretty much everything in Desnoyers’ game, his skating is quite great. I wouldn’t say it’s high-end, there are better skaters than him in the draft, especially when we look at pure speed, but it’s quite great. The pace is the best part; he just plays at such a smooth yet high pace, able to lead and be a threat on the rush, change gears and slow down when needed. He can switch from chasing a player to another without losing momentum. He can accelerate much faster than his opponents, there’s just a lot to like.
Desnoyers is super agile and when it comes to turning quickly, to executing pivots, to moving laterally, to being pushed around and having to stay strong on the feet, he’s got it all mastered.
When he enters the offensive zone along the boards, he loves to cut back inside. This allows him to mix up the defenders in their coverage, to wait for teammates, and to make his plays harder to read. He turns only using his heels, without even taking strides and pivots smoothly in this clip, allowing him to fully focus on scanning and thinking about what his play will be. When a player skates that smoothly, his life becomes so much easier.
Again here, Desnoyers pivots smoothly to change the angle of his shot, put the puck on his forehand and snipe a goal.
You can see Desnoyers’ stability on his inside edge, being able to keep the puck just by utilizing them.
You can really tell how elite of an overall player he is here, including his skating. He corrals the puck, skates towards a player but sees that he’s going to get hit, so he avoids contact without losing any speed, scans, understands that the backdoor option is covered by two players which leaves the trailer open, passes to him and gets credited with an assist. This is what I mean when I say he elevates his teammates all the time. This is what an elite player does.
Desnoyers’ top speed is great. That clearly isn’t his game, but if he wanted to, he could blow past every QMJHL defencemen just with his speed alone. He doesn’t do it super often because he would rather use his teammates to play a more translatable game and play as a team rather than individually, but his speed is still super useful when he enters the zone with speed.
Here’s a puck carry clip where you can see the speed at which he can get. Desnoyers is clearly faster than pretty much everyone else on the ice.
Another example here. Desnoyers has some separating speed.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to capitalize on the chance he created, but he basically outskated the entire opposing team by himself and ended up right in front of the goalie with the puck on his stick. Impressive stuff, even at 5 on 4.
You can see the agility in his skating in this toe-drag. This is more of an unconventional toe-drag, where the player doesn’t keep his momentum forward but skates backwards in the dragging motion, but it shows that Desnoyers executes with a total harmony between his feet and his hands.
Here's Desnoyers doing it again to set up a teammate.
If I wanted to really nitpick, I would say that adding a slight bit of explosiveness to his initial stride could be useful, especially to the next level, but he’s still a great skater as he is and continues to improve every time I see him. I am not concerned by any means, especially given that he will continue to add muscle and get stronger in the coming years. He is not on the level of guys like Oliver Moore or Jackson Smith for example, but his skating is very solid.
Grade: 57.5
Shot
This season in the QMJHL, Desnoyers has 25 goals on 113 shots on net, for a shooting percentage of 22%. Although this is a high number and he will likely not be a 40-goal scorer in the NHL, there are still things to like about his shot and his goal scoring instincts as a whole.
Desnoyers is great at getting rebounds and taking advantage of them. When the play is well set in the offensive zone, he tends to roam around the net to look for those rebounds or open pucks to get a goal.
It depends on how you look at it, but there is an argument to be made that Desnoyers doesn’t really trust his shot all that much because of how often he prefers to let his teammates shoot. It’s either that, or he’s naturally more of a puck moving playmaker who creates space and lets his teammates finish.
Desnoyers’ shot isn’t bad by any means. The accuracy of his shot is pretty solid, oftentimes he will shoot from pretty far away and the puck will just find a way to the back of the goal.
Here’s an example, he just turns around, shoots and although the puck isn’t going through the air at a tremendous speed, it still finds the back of the net.
Same thing here again.
And here again. Pretty nice play as a whole from Desnoyers here. Still though, not a particularly strong shot, but accurate.
To be honest, most of his goals are either around the net, or quick snapshots on and off his stick in a situation where the goalie really has to move far to make a save, like a 2 on 1. Rarely will you see Desnoyers really picking corners left and right.
It often looks like this. It’s not a huge knock on his game, quite frankly I think that people tend to overvalue the ability to snipe goals from everywhere on the ice, when in the NHL not every goal is scored this way. In fact, it’s actually quite the opposite.
It is also worth noting that even though Desnoyers’ playstyle is not about scoring goals and shooting all the time, he still averages a little over 3 shots a game. That just speaks to how much he’s dominating the QMJHL this year. Yes, he plays for a stacked Moncton team, but he’s their main guy who drives a lot of the bus.
I would say that if he really practices his release, and mostly the power of his wrist shot, his game would be even more complete, and he would be an even more dangerous NHL player down the road. Right now, though, I would say his release is probably the weakest part of his game.
Grade: 50
Skills
This is arguably the most underrated aspect of his game. Most people who are hesitant to have him high question his true high-end skill and believe he will not really be a dominant offensive player at the next level. I think his skill level will not be understood correctly with only a viewing or two; you need to understand that Desnoyers is a team-first player who always thinks about how he can be the most useful player in any given play, how he can make the right play to move the game in the right direction. A lot of skilled junior players just use their skill to dominate for their own benefit and play creation, and it is easier for us to collectively agree on their upside in this scenario, but for guys like Desnoyers, the situation is different.
It’s all about how Desnoyers makes plays through traffic. The quick subtle puck touches in traffic that he makes help him escape situations with the puck where most players wouldn’t. Somehow, some way, he always ends up with the puck on his stick in situations where he definitely shouldn’t.
Here is what I mean. Bill Zonnon, one of the best QMJHL forecheckers and physical forces, tries to pin him down along the boards, but he somehow just slips with control of the puck. Desnoyers just always has the puck. Keep in mind the perfect timing of his pass at the end of the clip, I will mention it again at the end.
Another standout quality is Desnoyers’ ability to handle the puck and make plays at full speed. He’s genuinely a dangerous player on his own who is well capable of executing some high skill plays by himself when going full throttle and showing true high-end potential.
Here is an example of this. While skating at his top speed, he skates with full confidence towards the defenceman, attacks the space under his stick, makes it work and gets a shot. Desnoyers is fully able to get around a defenceman in a one-on-one situation, and I feel like not enough people give him credit for this because he doesn’t do it all that often and prefers to play off his teammates like I’ve said a few times already. There are not many centers who play a smart supportive playmaking game that can also do these sorts of things by themselves. Again, with Desnoyers, it’s the number of things he can do for your team. He really does it all.
Here is a tremendous clip showing many qualities that Desnoyers possesses. He enters the zone and completely breaks the defender’s ankles, tries a pass in front of the net but immediately jumps back on the puck instead of slowing down, protects the puck and makes a pass. This is mostly an impressive showcase of skill, but also of how involved he is in the play while still playing as a team.
Nothing crazy here, but still a nice move to freeze the defenceman and skate past him.
Another similar move again by Desnoyers.
Another one of these signature moves, but with another perfectly timed move at the end to go around another player. One of the best things about Desnoyers is how well timed every single move he makes is. He waits until the last moment to make his move and it’s quite rare that he gets caught. In that clip against Zonnon earlier, he did the same thing at the end. Last second pass, just before getting caught, to maximize the number of opposing sticks attacking him.
Grade: 57.5
Smarts
Every pass Desnoyers makes is perfectly timed. He waits until the last second if he can, draws many players on him to create some space for his teammates, makes perfect reads, and is always a step ahead of the play. He doesn’t react to the play; he controls and manipulates it. These aren’t buzzwords, it is the truthful way to describe his game. Desnoyers is one of the most cerebral players in this year’s draft and is a big part of what makes him such a reliable, translatable, but also elite and special player. At the CHL/USHL top prospects game, Benjamin Kindel and Justin Carbonneau even said that Desnoyers has the highest hockey IQ on that team because of how easy it is to play with him. That was a team also featuring the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Michael Misa and Porter Martone, but some players gave their votes to Desnoyers.
Desnoyers plays with his linemates like they are one connected brain. Not only does he play unselfishly but he makes sure he can simplify his teammates’ lives as much as possible. He’s always setting them up for prime scoring chances, always creating space for them by moving laterally and passing the puck with the perfect timing.
Here is an example of how phenomenal his passing vision is. He sees a passing option that only a few players in this draft would see, is confident enough to try it, and he executes it perfectly. Unfortunately, his teammate wasn’t able to finish, but the clip is impressive regardless.
This is another play where you can easily tell that Desnoyers controls the game with his mind. Enters the zone, cuts back with agility, draws pressure and waits for the perfect pass for his teammate entering with speed. The awareness is out of this world.
Here's another one yet again. You can see in the overall clip how he plays off his teammates effectively, but especially how it feels like he is someone playing NHL 25, controlling all players and being able to create absurd plays. Instead of shooting directly after receiving the pass in a 2 on 1 situation, Desnoyers realized that he lost time switching from his backhand to his forehand, which gave just enough time for the goalie to close the angle, and to find another teammate to finish. Very impressive stuff.
Another example of him recognizing that if he skates towards the boards and brings the defenceman with him, a lane for his teammate gets created.
Desnoyers spots when opportunities and space on the ice open up and attacks it by himself if no one else is with him. Here’s him getting a nice scoring chance by spotting a slim opening through 3 opposing players.
Desnoyers is one of the most consistent high danger passers and play creators in this draft. His sense of timing when passing the puck in front of the net for a high danger chance is amazing. He knows how long he can and needs to hold the puck before passing and he knows that these kinds of passes will generate significantly better results. The area in front of the goaltender is the most protected area because it’s the most dangerous, and the fact that he’s able to find it so frequently is extremely appealing and demonstrates his understanding of quality offensive passes. And like I demonstrated in the last clip, he’s also smart enough to realize when that option is not possible and can adjust.
Here’s some clips of him executing high danger passes. You can see in that first one his agility as well, starting with a nice 180 sharp turn and then another spin move with his inside edges to put the puck right in front of the net for a primary assist.
Again, another amazing, crafty pass by Desnoyers. Lot of people would have shot instead here.
Lastly, an amazing play from Desnoyers that ends with a primary assist thanks to a great pass in front of the net.
Grade: 62.5
Physicality/Compete
Like I previously mentioned, Desnoyers hits all the time. When averaging his hits on a per 60 minutes basis, he hits more than basically every projected first round forward. His hits are mostly not huge bone-crushing open ice hits (although he also occasionally does it), but it’s more about finishing checks along the boards and putting pressure on his opponents, giving them limited time to make plays. His hits are always super clean, but impactful enough to be noticeable.
This clip portrays Desnoyers’ compete level. He backchecks like his life depended on it in a game he was already winning 5-1 and completely demolishes his opponent before he shoots.
You can see in this clip that Desnoyers really puts his entire weight in the hit but makes sure it’s shoulder to shoulder. Clean, but hard.
Desnoyers loses the opening faceoff, but immediately rushes and goes for a hit. He loves to set the tone early in the game.
Here, number 27 from the Remparts (Charlie Morrison, potential prospect for next year’s draft) misses the puck and panics seeing Desnoyers coming quickly and passes the puck to his right which forces a turnover. Desnoyers finishes the hit and even hits him again a few seconds after. He just goes at you and hits you all the time, which is annoying to play against.
You can really see how high Desnoyers’ compete level is. The puck gets stolen from him and his response is to hound said player, chasing him down, forcing him to get rid of the puck, and hitting him.
You won’t find Desnoyers deep on the forecheck that often, because he plays rather low and lets his wingers do the forechecking. You will find him way more often assisting his defencemen on the backcheck, along the boards, and on the breakout.
Although he ended up losing the puck, you can see that when his team turns the puck over, Desnoyers locks in and backchecks as hard as he can to get the puck back.
Here again, he just chases down his opponent after Sumpf loses the faceoff, and gets the puck back.
Desnoyers’ compete level and will to win is undeniable. If you watch any interview in which players or coaches were asked about him, for example during the CHL/USHL top prospect game, everyone would say how much of a leader he is, how much he wants to win, and how he pushes everyone else around him to be the best versions of themselves. For example, Quinn Beauschene, Kashawn Aitcheson and Braeden Cootes mentioned Desnoyers would be a great coach one day with his passion and how vocal he is, Aitcheson, Cootes and Cameron Schmidt also said he was the player on that team who was the most likely to win a cup one day because of his compete and his will to win, and finally Cole Reschny said Desnoyers was the biggest leader on that team. Do not be surprised if Desnoyers ends up being a captain in the NHL one day.
A limitation with Desnoyers’ physical game is that I’m not sure he will really impose his will and be a guy who can drive the net hard with his body and push off everyone around him, unless he fills out his frame a lot. He does have that potential though, given that he is pretty tall, standing at 6’2. He will still be able to do everything he does in terms of finishing hits and competing hard at a great pace, he will be a player who the coaches love for a million reasons, including these ones.
Grade: 57.5
OFP: 57.625
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.