CHL Sunday Spotlight – 5 Questions with Mooseheads’ Elliot Desnoyers

Early season success has offered a sneak peek into what the Philadelphia Flyers see in Elliot Desnoyers.

Selected 135th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, the Halifax Mooseheads third-year centre has been one of the top performers through the opening weeks of on-ice action in the QMJHL, already with 20 points through 12 appearances highlighted by a pair of four-goal nights with his most recent coming Friday against the Charlottetown Islanders.

Acquired from Moncton in June, Desnoyers was a solid contributor through a pair of seasons with the Wildcats, punctuated by 66 points through 122 career contests. Now in Halifax, the 18-year-old is ready to take the next step in his hockey path and recently shared his thoughts on that process with the Canadian Hockey League:

What are your goals for the season?

My main goal this year is to be a great leader with the Mooseheads. We have a pretty young group this year and my goal is going to be to lead by example and be hardworking every day. I want to prove that I am a consistent player who brings everything on the ice for the full season.

How have you adapted to the Mooseheads after spending the past two seasons with the Wildcats?

I think my adaptation with the Mooseheads has been great so far. It is a great organization and they are here to win. I think we can still improve a lot with our group. This is where we are going. I think we are all pulling in the same direction. It’s pretty unique for me to be part of the leader group of this team and of this organization. For sure, it was great to spend my last two years with Moncton. We had really good teams and I learned a lot from it. I think this year I can bring a part of this learning on the ice with my teammates.

You have had several multi-point nights to begin the new season. What do you attribute to your early success?

I think it all started with a big summer. I worked really hard with my trainers on and off the ice. I think the team has helped me a lot. They have given me a lot of confidence and put me in a great situation to help the team. For sure, too, my linemates have a big role in this. I am playing with two great players and we are all pulling in the same direction. I think this is part of my success.

What was draft day like for you and what was your reaction to being selected by the Philadelphia Flyers?

Draft day was just a magical day for me and my family. We were all online on a Zoom call. We were just excited and when you see the names, you just can’t wait until your name goes out. Finally when I saw the Flyers I was really happy about that. They have a few Quebec faces and they are a great organization. They are totally my values. They compete every night. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of this organization.

Which NHL player do you model your game after and what aspects do you like about his playing style?

The player in the NHL who I model myself after is Brendan Gallagher. He is a great, hardworking leader and he is always competing everywhere on the ice. He loves to go in dirty areas and sacrifice himself for his teammates. In certain ways I can compare myself to Brendan Gallagher.