????????????????????????????????????
Photo Credit: Halifax Mooseheads
A young man by the name of Elliot “The Destroyer” Desnoyers hails from St-Hyacinthe, QC, CAN, which is located outside of Montreal. Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher traded picks 202 and 209 to the Nashville Predators to move up to select a sharpshooter in Desnoyers with the 135th pick of the 2020 NHL Draft. Desnoyers is a Left Winger, but he’s a versatile player as he can also play Center if need be. Last night, he suited up for his first pre-season game with the Flyers, and he did not look out of place. He looked like a veteran:
“It was awesome. I’m still on the way back to how I’ve been playing. I’ve been working with an injury all summer. I feel like I was doing really good and I’ve felt more and more confident as things were going.” – Elliot Desnoyers
Last night, Desnoyers showed his feistiness by dropping the mitts in the first period, to which Desnoyers said it was his first fight following the game, as he did not fight at the junior level. He also finished the game with one hit in 13:09 of ice time, and he also accumulated over two minutes of power play time, as well.
“It was a part of my game that I wanted to show. Not to show that I’m a fighter because it was my first fight. It was to show that I’m ready to do anything to get my team the W. I just felt it was a good time because we were losing by one.” – Elliott Desnoyers
Once seen as a project pick for the Flyers after being traded from the Moncton Wildcats. Desnoyers brings a combination of high-end skating and hockey sense that makes him a dangerous player without the puck. He plays a good two-way game, and is rarely out of position. Desnoyers blocks shots, gets into the passing lanes, provides high energy, and simply plays the game the right way.
Desnoyers provided a leadership role with a rebuilding Halifax Mooseheads club in his first season, and he increased his production while playing with a potential first round pick in Zachary L’Heureux. Both L’Heureux and Desnoyers were utilized in every situation to include the top Power Play Unit, and they are expected to do the same this season.
“Elliot Desnoyers had a productive year in Halifax and played a strong, two-way game with lots of passion. As he matures physically and gets stronger, his game should continue to grow.”– Brent Flahr said earlier in the year
Ian Laperrière shares the same sentiment about Desnoyers as Flahr does, “The funny thing I played with his dad all my life growing up,” Laperrière said at rookie camp, “It’s funny to see him. That’s how old I am. He had surgeries and everything, but I’ll give him that he spends his whole summer, rehabbing, doing the work on the ice and doing some skill development. He’s that new generation. They want that. They’re hungry about that, to do a little stuff that I didn’t do. Obviously, he’s French-Canadian like I am. I talked to him in French. It’s kind of nice. Talk about that and mom and everything. To answer your question, I was impressed just the fact that he spent the summer, doing his rehab. He didn’t have to, but he did. When he had a chance to go on the ice, he still does like after with the development guys. He goes out there and work on his skills. Obviously, he’s going to go back to junior. In the future, he’s not a big guy but because he does everything right, that’s a kid I wouldn’t be surprised that will be sitting here in five years. He’ll make the big team or he’ll be a dominant player in the American League.”
Laperrière continued, “This summer I did send a picture of me and Elliot together. We sent it to his dad. His dad was a defenseman that was a tough guy. It’s just funny how life is though. I’m here and his son gets drafted for Flyers. I work for the Flyers and I’m probably going to coach him next year. It’s kind of funny, but it’s all good.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Loose Pucks:
Carter Hart played another good game saving 24 out of 25 shots faced, which is good enough for a .960 Save Percentage. He also saved all three shots in the shootout following the game.
The Flyers game roster for tonight’s preseason game against the New York Islanders will feature mainly players that did not play in last night’s game against the Boston Bruins.
