Desnoyers: First center in Montreal in 2-3 years if he is drafted by the CH (according to the Snake)

With just a few months to go before the 2025 NHL draft, there is one player in particular who stands out in the QMJHL.

I’m talking about Caleb Desnoyers, who plays for the Moncton Wildcats.

In his 17-year-old year, Desnoyers is not just good: he is one of the best players in the league, currently sitting in 4th place among the league’s top scorers.

The native of Saint-Hyacinthe has collected 51 points in 31 games (!) and what impresses in his game is his ability to be effective in all three zones of the ice.

He excels offensively, and we can also say the same about his defensive play.

Desnoyers is gaining attention from various scouts, and Simon Boisvert spoke about him in the latest episode of his podcast that he shares with Mathias Brunet (Processus).

The Snake didn’t mince words: for him, Desnoyers has what it takes to be selected in the top-3 of the draft.

And in the eyes of Simon Boisvert, Desnoyers could become the first center of the Canadiens within 2 or 3 years if he gets the chance to be selected by Kent Hughes:

« If the Habs draft Caleb Desnoyers, he becomes the team’s first center within 2-3 years! » – Simon « Snake » Boisvert
The full episode is available here https://t.co/e6Lx04YVw8#ch #Habs #processus #desnoyers pic.twitter.com/7DnK6eRKng

— commissionathletique (@Commissionathl) January 8, 2025

What’s interesting is the fact that the Canadiens know the main interested party very well.

Colleague Maxime Truman notably wrote an article at the end of November stating that the Habs are closely monitoring him, and the Responsible Gambler site also echoed this by saying that Desnoyers is an important target for the Canadiens.

The idea of having a player like him is exciting because Desnoyers hails from Quebec, and it’s been a long time since the Habs had a dominant player from the province in their top-6.

Even less on the first line: David Desharnais provided solid services to the Habs for several years as the first center… But we can all agree that he did not belong to the elite of the NHL at that time.

All this to say it would be fun to see the Canadiens select Caleb Desnoyers in the upcoming draft.

And if the Habs are too far down the standings, they have what it takes to rise in the selection ranks since they also have another first-round pick this year:

(Credit: Tankathon)

In Brief
– At least, he knows it.

Matt Rempe spoke for the first time since his suspension. Acknowledged it wasn’t a good hit. He said there was no intent but that he needed to be smarter.

«Can’t happen again or it’s going to be a huge suspension. … I’m a marked man right now.»

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) January 8, 2025

– Tony Marinaro is so entertaining.

Faut croire que Monia a eu de l’effet sur Tony…#forum #monia pic.twitter.com/l8C0tn1HHi

— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) January 8, 2025

– The photo is magical.

Pre-game moments like this pic.twitter.com/5ZtpsIyIhE

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) January 8, 2025

– Already!

Le camp du CF Montréal se mettra en branle ce week-endhttps://t.co/lZ5BJjZzKP

— RDS (@RDSca) January 8, 2025

– Me too.