The Moncton Wildcats have had 34 players drafted into the NHL over the course of it’s illustrious franchise history. Caleb Desnoyers stands to make history Friday night as the highest ever Moncton Wildcat player to be drafted into the National Hockey League. The former 1st overall selection in the QMJHL Draft is no stranger to the spotlight and possesses the uncanny and innate ability to thrive within it.
Former Wildcat star defender Brandon Gormley currently holds the record for highest NHL drafted Wildcat player when he was selected by the Arizona Coyotes 13th overall in 2010. Steve Bernier, JF Damphousse and Jacob Pelletier round out the other 1st round NHL selections in Moncton Wildcat history.
Desnoyers has been projected to go anywhere from 4th to 7th overall on some prognosticators mock drafts or draft rankings. Desnoyers battled through and endured a season long injury which is incredibly impressive given his overall production and style of play. The kid never wavered and played the game the right way night in, night out which speaks volumes about his character. The highly touted center is arguably the best two-way player in the 2025 draft class.
It’s been an absolute honour and privilege to see Desnoyers play the game over the past two seasons in Moncton. The newly anointed Wildcat captain entered the QMJHL with tons of expectations and pressure, but handled it like a true pro. From a scouting perspective Caleb Desnoyers did things out there at 16 and 17 that just leave you in awe. The subtle plays with and without the puck have jumped off the page over the past two seasons. His vision and passing ability coupled with his compete level and hockey IQ are arguably his strongest attributes.
Here are a series of articles and scouting reports on Desnoyers that I’ve written over the past two years.
Caleb DESNOYERS, – MONCTON – C Multiple Reports over the course of the entire season on clearly the best QMJHL prospect in quite some time.
A) Caleb was outstanding and really controlled and dictated the pace of play with and without the puck, he was creative and accountable, he made things happen out there in his first few shifts of the game before sustaining an upper body injury, in typical Desnoyers fashion, the kid tried to play through it until coming out of the game early in the 2nd period, Again this kid is worth the price of admission, he plays the game and position the right way every time out, There’s no question he’s a 1st rounder, but the main questions that remain is how high will he go and his skating ability and quickness, he’s more than capable of playing both forward positions with relative ease, personally I think his skating will progress enough to play through the middle at the pro level, but some teams might disagree with that.
B) Very uncharacteristic start to the game for Desnoyers, he turned the puck over at his own blueline and you could tell that really bothered him, from that point to the end of the game, Desnoyers was driven and really took over the contest. He turned in a 5 pt night that showcased every aspect of his skill set, His vision and play making ability is highly underrated, his skating and quickness is improving every time out and you can tell he’s really working on that aspect of his game. He’s shooting the puck a lot more as well which is great to see, A season ago, he would hang onto pucks in effort to spot the open man and at times would run out of room or elect to pass instead of shooting. He boasts a very heavy accurate pro release and it’s great to see him use it more and from all over the ice.
C) Obviously, when a player returns from an injury it will take them some time, at times Desnoyers was slightly hesitant not to engage, but to go into traffic during some sequences, It’s hard to explain, but he still engaged but not with the same vigor that he has in the past. You can tell he wasn’t a hundred percent this game, and that he was still battling through some discomfort, but his physicality will be something to key in and I’m sure other NHL scouts will zero in on that aspect of his game. Let’s get one thing straight, this kid plays the game and the center position the right way, by no means was he soft or not engaged, just hesitate at times which was the first time I ever observed that from this player. This kid understands and realizes the pressure, attention and expectations that surround him the year and has turned in an very impressive start despite missing close to 10 days of action due to an upper body injury
D) Another wickedly good performance by Desnoyers who showcased his complete game and talent with a memorable hattrick. There’s not enough room here to pontificate about Desnoyers overall game and his ability to create and generate offensive chances and opportunities for himself and teammates. He was physically engaged from the drop of the puck and never backed down,
E) There’s no question, Caleb Desnoyers was and is the best player on the ice on most nights, it’s his adaptability and versatility that continues to jump off the page. When teams key in on him, he continues to find a way, he continues to score and contribute, His in-game adjustments, awareness and ability to process the game at top speed continues to pay dividends him and his team. His skating ability and overall speed continues to get better with every outing.
F) Caleb has been outstanding throughout the playoffs this season and is undoubtedly the straw that stirs the drink for the Wildcats, He’s starting to take more faceoffs so that’s a clear indication that his upper body injuries are on the mend, there were times lately you could tell he was favouring those injuries by not engaging which never never happens. As I’ve written time and time again, he projects to be a 2nd line center on a championship caliber team at the NHL level, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him become a 1st line center with time and experience. He’s not going to drive a ton of offence early on at the NHL level, but he’s just so smart and thinks the game so well that it’s just going to be a matter of time.
G) Comparables and comparisons plague the scouting fraternity, but in many cases, they do provide some clarity and direction when it comes to evaluating and projecting young prospects. A number of NHL scouts have anonymously thrown around a few names when assessing and projecting Desnoyers’ style of play and that’s Jonathan Toews. A few others have also carefully floated Patrice Bergeron’s name out there when looking at Desnoyers’ prowess. Obviously, that’s rarified air when it comes to projecting player, but that’s how good this kid could be. Personally, I’ve thrown around another comparable as early as last year during Desnoyers’ first foray in the league which is none other than Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier. Cliches, superlatives and comparisons get thrown around quite frequently when it comes to describing highly touted players, but what about the elite ones? How would one go about describing them? Clearly the word “special” comes to mind almost instantly. Caleb Desnoyers is a special player and a potential star center in the making and perhaps just what a lot of teams need to kick start a potential rebuild, but like anything that’s going to take time. You can throw all of the descriptors you want out there to describe Desnoyers and they would all perfectly align with his skill set, but most of all his character, competitiveness and consistently which far exceeds that of most players his age. There’s no question Desnoyers is a special player who’s incredibly talented in all facets of the game. He’s arguably the most gifted two-way player/center in the Q. Desnoyers’ hockey sense and character are his strongest attributes and will definitely serve him well at the next level. He has an uncanny knack to always find the open man, his vision and awareness are elite.
He does all the “little things” the right way every time he goes over the boards. Desnoyers’ creativity, vision and passing ability on the man advantage was the one bright spot on a very predictable and over used power play scheme a season ago. As a 16 he adapted quickly and really started to understand how to drive the Wildcats offence.
H) Desnoyers isn’t flashy, he doesn’t possess breakaway or dimension speed, but this kid is never out of position and never cheats it. He plays the position and game the right way, backchecks like hell and is passionate about both sides of the puck, which in today’s era is a rarity. His compete level is off the charts and it’s the subtilities of his game that always jumps off the page. As I wrote last year. “So, the kid goes over and gives the guy a shot instead of the other older guy standing right there,” I said referring to Caleb Desnoyers shoving a Halifax Mooseheads forward in the chest for jabbing at Wildcats goaltender Jacob Steinman. “He just gets it,” replied one NHL scout last year. There’s no other way to really say it, Caleb Desnoyers just gets it.
For a 16-year-old kid, with all the pressure in the world, Desnoyers played like a grizzled veteran a season ago. Desnoyers would no doubt be the first one to tell you there are certain aspects of his game that he needs to refine in order to go where he wants to go.
This kid has played a shit ton of hockey and really hasn’t stopped given his time internationally with Team Canada and has logged at least 20 to 25 minutes a game for Gardiner MacDougall. At times this season he has looked sluggish, given all of the TOI, but never disinterested. He has had some games where he hasn’t brought his “A” game, but his “B” and “C” game is pretty damn good.
He did miss some time due to injury on two separate occasions and was hesitant at times upon his return which is to be expected. Here’s a kid that never backs down and always engages, so when he doesn’t you know something isn’t right. Caleb Desnoyers is a gamer through and through, he would do just about anything to help the team win. On night’s where he wasn’t the top player on the ice, you just knew damn well the next game he would rebound and make sure he was the best player on the ice.
Desnoyers projects to be a top tier 2nd line center on a championship caliber team at the NHL level or a 1st line center on a team lacking organizational depth at that position. He isn’t going to drive a ton of offence early on his NHL career, and he’s definitely better suited playing through the middle rather than the wing. Scouts will continue to question some small aspects of his skating in relation to him playing through the middle at the next level, but if that’s the case he makes up for it because he’s so damn smart.
MacDougall has moved him multiple times to the wing perhaps in effort to showcase his scoring touch and natural offensive ability, but when I see him out there he’s a center through and through. There’s no question Caleb Desnoyers is a pass first playmaker who possesses a very deceptive and accurate release. He’s great in traffic, welcomes contact and excels in creating time and space for himself and his teammates.
Countless NHL franchises would absolutely love to walk to the podium and select Caleb Desnoyers within the Top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft. Desnoyers is a special player with tremendous potential, he’s definitely a type of player that you could build around,
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