Photo Credit: Zack Hill
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. Flyers fans may not have known much about him but he turned some heads for the Halifax Mooseheads and hopefully he will do the same with Flyers or Lehigh Valley Phantoms, “I feel ready,” Elliot Desnoyers said at Developmental Camp. “I’m going to keep improving for the rest of the summer. I have World Juniors coming in. It’s going to be a great challenge for me to play against some really great players. Physically, I feel totally ready. I’m not the biggest guy, but I’ve been working hard in the gym, trying to get stronger every day.”
“I think a guy that’s responsible in every aspect of the game in all three zones. A guy that can be used in any situation, penalty kill, power play, a lot of offense as well. Just being a complete player.“ – Elliot Desnoyers said of the role the coaching staff may want him to play
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, and he played wwll with a 2021, 27th overall pick by the Nashville Predators in Zachary L’ Heureux, “I think for us forwards, the biggest part is protecting the puck in all kinds of situations, along the boards, when you have the puck and are trying to go to the net,” Desnoyers said. “It’s something that is so important at the next level, guys are so big, so good with their sticks. It’s something that you do at a fast speed. It’s been good everything we’ve done so far.”
Desnoyers provided a leadership role with a rebuilding Halifax Mooseheads club in his first season, and he increased his production this past season en route to a career year. Desnoyers was utilized in every situation to include the top Power Play Unit.
The young 20-year-old in Desnoyers had the potential for big point totals this year. As a fifth-round pick, Desnoyers kept his game simple, and this approach lead to a breakout season with 42 goals and 46 assists in 610 games played. He’s playmaker with a high-end shot. Flyers’ Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr is high on the young man:
“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
“I think for me it’s to keep my head up while being at a fast speed,” Desnoyers exclaims in regards to parts of his game that is taking strides. “Sometimes it’s hard to see a play and be as fast as possible. I did a lot of drills where I had to keep my eyes up and try to not look at the puck, just trying to shoot more as well. I think it helped me a lot.”
Desnoyers continued, “Coaches often talk about details, that’s something that I really take pride in doing. I love to study the game and it’s something that helps me a lot. Talking about the offensive game, I try to watch some games, pro players. If you want to play in the NHL, you have to be good in all zones basically. It’s something that I’ve been studying for a long time, like you said, I kind of added that to my game. But I’ve always knew that that offensive touch, was just for me to have that role and to prove it to everyone.”
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Desnoyers is a talented, skilled forward that has great vision of the ice, and can skate with the best of them. He has a lethal wrist shot, great acceleration, and is a determined young man. Could Desnoyers be flushing out some other prospects in the Flyers system? Maybe so, but in the end he’s happy to get back on the ice, as he clears the air in regards to his previous injury:
“I think my hips are better than they’ve ever been. It was an anomaly, that was basically something that I could not control. I feel better than ever now.” – Elliot Desnoyers
He is the embodiment of what it takes to be a Flyer. Desnoyers has the right attitude, and he models his game after a current Flyer, “You know obviously I’m from Quebec and I’ve looked to since I was young, Bergeron, even Couturier,” Desnoyers said. “Those guys are a little bit of what I’ve been building my game around. Really complete players, really good defensively as well.”
