It’s already apparent: Caleb Desnoyers is going to be a fan favorite in Utah.
It goes beyond his fascination of the mountains and his fondness for fishing. People will love him for his confidence. He’s only 18, but you’d think he’s entering his 15th NHL season from the way he speaks.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared a story on Sunday’s episode of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that perfectly exemplifies Desnoyers’ confidence.
After the first round of the draft, the Sportsnet crew was relaxing on the hotel’s rooftop patio. A few drafted players stopped to say hi, including Desnoyers.
Desnoyers thanked Jason Bukala, one of Sportsnet’s scouting experts, for believing in him and ranking him so highly. He then turned to the other scouting expert, Sam Cosentino, and said, “and you thought I’d go seventh!”
He displayed that confidence again when he answered a question at a press conference in Salt Lake City on Sunday about where he wants to play next season.
“My goal right now is to surprise everyone and make the team next year,” he said. “I’m the first person to realize how tough and hard it’s going to be, but I’m the first person also willing to do all that it will take.”
Desnoyers is a proven winner. He’s one of three players ever to capture gold medals at the U17 World Juniors, the U18 World Juniors and the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament.
“I hate losing, but it’s mainly that I love winning so much,” he said. “I’m just always so hungry. I’m never satisfied.”
He also won the QMJHL championship this season, took home the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the playoff MVP, was named to the QMJHL first all-star team this season and the all-rookie team last season.
As competitive as he is, he also understands the importance of being a good person.
“Love and loyalty are (things) that, since day one, my parents gave to me and my two brothers,” Desnoyers said. “It’s important to, yes, be a good hockey player, but also a good person. I feel that it’s something that also helps me to reach that next level and to be someone that people appreciate being around in their daily life.”
Gabe Smith, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick of Utah’s and a teammate of Desnoyers’ with the Moncton Wildcats, had nothing but praise for his now double teammate.
“It’s a great addition on the ice — but then, as well, everybody is focused here, in this organization, on being great people,” Smith said. “I think we got one.”
Get to know Caleb Desnoyers, the hockey player
On the ice, Desnoyers takes pride in being hard to play against. If everything goes as planned, he’ll be a perennial Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward.
“He’s got a little bit of everything that we want,” said general manager Bill Armstrong. “He’s got the skill, he’s got the high hockey IQ, and he’s someone that led his team down the stretch to a championship as a 17-year-old. That’s hard to do.”
In 56 regular season games with the Wildcats last year, he scored 35 goals and 84 points. But the most impressive thing was his playoff production: 30 points in 19 games.
He compares himself to Jonathan Toews, who captained the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup championships in a six-year span. Both Desnoyers and Toews are able to elevate their play when the games mean the most, and that’s an invaluable trait for teams to have in their players.
“We like players that play in the big moments,” Armstrong said. “You don’t teach a baby shark how to bite — they know how to bite.”
As confident as Desnoyers is, he has no delusions that he’s made it.
“It’s the biggest step so far in my young career, but the way I look at it is that it’s the start of the start of the start,” he said of being drafted. “I think there’s nothing accomplished yet. Yes, I got drafted at a good number, ... but I’ve still got so much to do to accomplish what I want to accomplish in the NHL.”