Caleb Desnoyers, whom the Utah Mammoth selected fourth overall in the 2025 NHL draft, played through injuries to both wrists in the latter part of last season. Now, he appears to be hampered by a different injury.
He participated in the Mammoth’s development camp after the draft, an August wrist surgery precluded him from participating in rookie camp in September as well as the beginning of the Wildcats’ season.
He made his season debut Sunday evening, but his return was cut short when he took a hit to the head from Halifax Mooseheads forward Liam Kilfoil toward the end of the second period. He left the ice without help, but did not return to the game.
The hit happened behind the play, so there was no penalty assessed to Kilfoil. The way Desnoyers was leaning left him in a compromised position, and he did not have the puck, so he was not eligible to be hit in that moment.
That said, there is a case to be made that Kilfoil may have simply been trying to protect himself by turning his shoulder toward Desnoyers.
Neither the Wildcats nor the Mammoth have released an injury update as of the time of writing.
How did Caleb Desnoyers look in his 2025-26 season debut?
Although Desnoyers did not register any points Sunday, he did make one particularly nice pass and one noticeable display of leadership.
The pass, which came on the power play, sailed confidently between two Mooseheads defenders and would have set Niko Tournas up for his 10th goal of the season, but he just took too long to shoot.
The Wildcats named Desnoyers their captain this season, and he showed why in a small but impactful moment in his first game with the “C” on Sunday.
When teammate Matthew Virgilio scored his first-career QMJHL goal, Desnoyers skipped the on-ice celebration to go hunt down the puck. It’s tradition in hockey that players keep their milestone pucks, but it takes an aware teammate to make that possible.
Get to know Caleb Desnoyers
Desnoyers, 18, is a two-way center who often draws comparison to three-time Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Toews.
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. He’ll also be on Team Canada’s radar for the U20 World Juniors in December, health-permitting.
“I hate losing, but it’s mainly that I love winning so much,” he said in his introductory press conference with the Utah media in June. “I’m just always so hungry. I’m never satisfied.”
Despite being among the QMJHL’s youngest players last season, Desnoyers placed fifth in points (84), 12th in goals (35) and third in plus/minus (+51) — and he did it in significantly fewer games than most of the players ahead of him in every category.
In the playoffs, he led the Wildcats to the championship and was named playoff MVP.
“He’s got a little bit of everything that we want,” said Mammoth 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.”
