Desnoyers signed a three-year entry level contract with Utah on March 23. A deal that starts a that beginning of the 2026-27 season, per TSN’s Renaud Lavoie. The 18-year-old scored 22 goals and totaled 78 points in 45 games for the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL during the 2025-26 regular season. He joined Team Canada for the 2026 World Junior Hockey Championships, providing six assists in seven games in a bronze-medal winning performance in Minnesota. The fourth overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft could benefit from a rule change allowing 19-year-old, first-round draft picks to play in the AHL next season if he is unable to earn a roster spot with Utah out of camp.

After an amazing 2024-25 and being drafted fourth overall by Utah, it came out Desnoyers played most of the year with injuries to both wrists. It made the great season even more amazing. He had hoped to rehab the injuries through the offseason but unfortunately, that was not the case. In early August it was announced that Desnoyers had undergone wrist surgery and will be sidelined for approximately three months. After rehabbing in Utah for a while he has since returned to Moncton, where Desnoyers will continue to rehab and was named team captain for the 2025-26 campaign.

One of the top players in the QMJHL during the 2024-25 season, he led a league-leading team. Playing for Moncton, Desnoyers helped the team reach the Memorial Cup championship and was named MVP of the QMJHL playoffs. An excellent skater, he creates offense on the move, from the perimeter, and at the net. Desnoyers has great creativity as a playmaker, while also being a detailed two-way player. He can be trusted to check top players, playing with a physical edge in his game. Desnoyers has the potential to be a No. 1 center who can play in any situation. While he is considered one of the top NHL-ready prospects from the draft, GM Bill Armstrong is strongly against rushing players.

Selected at fourth overall, Caleb Desnoyers is now a member of the Utah Mammoth.

While always a scout’s dream thanks to his physicality, playmaking skill, and intangible qualities, Desnoyers was a revelation all the same in the QMJHL playoffs, winning playoff MVP off the strength of his 30 points in 19 games. However, his Wildcats faltered in the Memorial Cup as Desnoyers struggled to find the scoresheet. The final months of the season demonstrated both the highs (timely offence, physicality, game-breaking skill) and the lows (difficulty establishing himself at 5v5, in tighter-checking games) of Desnoyers’ game.

Desnoyers entered the year as a lottery-pick favourite. Despite playing in the much-maligned QMJHL, Desnoyers has maintained that momentum, with his over 1.5 point-per-game production and projectable two-way game solidifying his spot in the early first round.

Final Rankings – Desnoyers had an outstanding conclusion to his draft year, winning the Guy Lafleur Trophy for QMJHL playoff MVP after leading the Wildcats to their third title in franchise history. While imposing himself on the scoresheet (31 points in 19 games) Caleb’s play shone constantly in all three zones. His hockey IQ and compete level allow him to make subtle but highly important plays that contribute to his team’s success and make his teammates around him better. On top of his well-rounded game, Caleb possesses superior puck skills and vision which allows him to buy time and space for himself and spot teammates in high-danger scoring positions. His ability to consistently be the main play driver on an experienced Moncton Wildcats team, combined with his pedigree as a complete centerman, suggests that he should go very high in this year’s 2025 NHL Draft.—

While not always a high-pace player, Desnoyers has poise, excellent vision, and a solid puckhandle in tight spaces. He’s a committed and typically responsible defensive player who is especially effective when he flashes the higher-level physicality he can often bring. Thanks to a hot start, Desnoyers is likely to be the first QMJHL player off the board this spring.