By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
After picking up a point Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils, the Boston Bruins will hold the fifth-best odds in the 2025 National Hockey League Draft Lottery. Boston has an 8.5% chance of winning the 1st overall pick and a 41.9% chance of picking in the top five. While it’s widely believed that the top two in this Draft will be some combination of Michael Misa and Matthew Schaefer, the rest of the top five seems to be up for debate. One player who is making a serious case for himself as a potential top five pick is Caleb Desnoyers.
Desnoyers, a native of St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with the Moncton Wildcats, where he is teammates with Bruins prospect Loke Johansson. A 6’2″, 172-pound left-handed Center, Desnoyers enjoyed a productive regular season in the QMJHL, where he registered 35 goals and 49 assists for 84 points in only 56 games.
After an excellent regular season, Desnoyers has elevated his game in the playoffs. In ten postseason games, Desnoyers has 22 points. In that time frame, Moncton has a record of 9-1, currently leading the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 1-0 in the best-of-seven conference finals series.
Desnoyers is a cerebral two-way player with great vision, often seeing a lane his opponent didn’t think was open. He’s also very skilled, able to stick-handle in traffic and weave his way around defenders. While his shot may not be the best in the draft, it’s also not a weakness, and Desnoyers should be able to score at a decent pace in the NHL. With solid performances in the QMJHL as well as with Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky and U18 World Junior Championships, it’s no wonder why scouts are so high on Desnoyers.
His play this season has made Desnoyers a consensus top ten pick amongst scouts, with most having him in the fifth to seventh overall range, which is also the most likely outcome for the Boston Bruins in the draft lottery. Bob McKenzie of TSN had him at sixth in his most recent rankings, while NHL Central Scouting ranked him seventh amongst North American Skaters. If Desnoyers continues his phenomenal postseason in Moncton, he could rise even more, given that there is no consensus third overall prospect in this year’s class.
The competition level in the QMJHL has come under question in recent years. However, no one can deny that Desnoyers has dominated the league this season. On a Moncton team that only lost 11 games all season, and a roster that features seven NHL draft picks, Desnoyers led the Wildcats in scoring by 17 points. While it’s unlikely that Desnoyers will play in the NHL next season, he should have a long career in the professional game. He could return to the QMJHL next season, but with the NCAA recently allowing CHL players to participate in College Hockey, it is possible he could go that route as well.
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