The Cubs are playing with high hopes once again, which has Craig Counsell smiling
CHICAGO — Craig Counsell could only laugh.
Before Sunday's game, I asked him if the Cubs' offensive production so far was at the upper end of his expectations. A smile spread across the manager's face.
'Where do we rank in offense right now?' he said.
First in just about everything, I replied.
That's when he started chuckling.
Advertisement
Counsell was in a good mood before a nationally televised game against the Phillies on Sunday night. Later in his pre-game availability, I wondered if being around Kyle Tucker reminded him of sharing a dugout with MVP-caliber guys during his playing days and he cracked, 'Yeah, I mean, you remember it. You remember you're high-fiving them all the time. That's what you're doing.'
There's been a lot to smile about and plenty of high-fives to dole out at Wrigley Field lately.
But by the end of Sunday, Cubs fans were back to their booing ways when the Cubs lost 3-1 in 10 innings. A 5-3 homestand for the Cubs (17-12) ended on a bit of a down note, but still they took two of three from Arizona and swept a two-game series against the Dodgers before dropping two of three to the Phillies.
Since dropping the first two games of the season to the Dodgers in Japan, the Cubs have won six series, lost two and split one. It's a good start and maybe nothing more.
But going into Sunday's series finale with the Phillies, they were first in baseball in runs, RBIs, total bases, stolen bases, on-base percentage, hits and triples. They were second in batting average, slugging and OPS, third in walks and doubles and sixth in homers. There's something real there.
Now, imagine how good this team would be with Alex Bregman.
I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. But everyone watching Vidal Bruján play that Trea Turner grounder in the 10th probably thought that too.
'You gotta go get that ball.'
Craig Counsell on Vidal Bruján's play in the 10th. pic.twitter.com/pHTS9BXlca
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 28, 2025
No, things aren't perfect with the Cubs, but they're a lot better than they have been.
A dark cloud has been hovering over this team since the end of the 2018 season when it coughed up a division lead and lost a tiebreaker and a wild-card game in successive days. The next year, the Cubs missed the playoffs and bade farewell to their World Series-winning manager Joe Maddon. From December 2020 to the end of July 2021, Cubs president Jed Hoyer non-tendered Kyle Schwarber and traded Yu Darvish, Javy Báez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
Advertisement
Hopeful fans (and T-shirt companies) were left to pin their faint hopes on the likes of Frank Schwindel and Matt Mervis.
The Cubs haven't been back to the playoffs and are coming off consecutive 83-win seasons. For the last few years, we've talked more about the team's restrictive budgets than their World Series dreams. In a lot of ways, this major-market franchise has become a major bummer.
Even the Tucker trade was weighted with some negativity because to rent him for a year, Hoyer traded a top prospect. And now with every Tucker hit, fans are worrying about chairman Tom Ricketts not spending the necessary money to keep him after 2025, be it from a monster contract extension or an equally enormous free-agent contract. In a contract year for himself, too, Hoyer put his boss in an interesting spot. Ricketts hasn't shown the stomach to spend anywhere near the levels necessary to acquire top-of-the-market talent, so it's not just cynicism. Given the context, it's an inescapable conversation.
The time for Cubs fans to revolt is in the winter. Tucker is on the roster right now and has played even better than advertised, and it's transformed the Cubs' lineup.
'I think the beauty of what he does is he approaches the game from a very simple place as far as his pregame prep and just his attitude,' second baseman Nico Hoerner said. 'I think it takes more confidence to have your work be very simple and minimal, and not showing up every day chasing around some feeling, but just knowing that you're a really good player and rolling that out there every single day. That's kind of the beauty of what he does and part of why he's so consistent.'
But it's not just Tucker, who has seven homers and a .976 OPS. The whole lineup is hitting — well, with the exception of Dansby Swanson, the team's big free-agent addition in 2023.
Advertisement
Swanson's offensive struggles (.181 batting average) have mostly been overlooked because his defense remains stellar and the rest of the lineup has been so potent, including the bottom third, led by Pete Crow-Armstrong and catchers Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly.
'I feel like we've had everyone in our lineup win us a game so far already this year, which is a pretty cool feeling,' Hoerner said. 'The OPS's and season production (go) up and down, but as far as moments where players really change games, we've had guys in the middle of really important situations up and down in the lineup. It's been really impressive.'
Now has been more impressive lately than Crow-Armstrong, who is showing star potential in his second full season in the majors.
On Sunday night, the crowd chanted 'PCA' in the second inning as he knocked in Hoerner with a double to the wall in right field. Crow-Armstrong's defense in center field made him a fan favorite, but then late last season, he started to hit. He hasn't stopped. With his flair and personality, he could light up Wrigley Field.
PCA rips an RBI double to get the @Cubs on the board!
(Via @espn) pic.twitter.com/vuL73R0ZCL
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 27, 2025
'I think Pete's ability is to just affect all facets of a game,' Counsell said. 'I don't think there are many players right now in the game that can do it to the level that Pete does. And that's why it's so much fun to watch.'
And to think I laughed when an analyst on the team's regional sports network said PCA could be MVP this season.
Crow-Armstrong's start is what Hoyer meant when he talked about players outperforming expectations in order for the Cubs to win.
'I think that when you talk about beating projections or overperformance, it usually comes with young players, guys entering those second and third years where they have a chance to take a big step forward,' Hoyer said in spring training.
Advertisement
In that conversation, Hoyer pointed to PCA, Michael Busch, Matt Shaw and Ben Brown. While Shaw is back in Iowa and Brown is scuffling as a starter, Busch has been raking as well. Going into Sunday, he was slashing .295/.386/.568 with five home runs. He also made a nifty defensive play in the 10th inning on a botched bunt attempt.
But there's still the Bregman-sized hole at third base.
There's a reason Hoyer sounded so frustrated when Bregman signed with the Red Sox in a deal he couldn't financially match. This team probably doesn't need him to win the NL Central, but to really contend, well, it would've been nice. And right now, the Cubs don't have anyone to play the position every day.
After a slow start, rookie third baseman Shaw was sent down to Triple-A Iowa on April 15, and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman was designated for assignment after a bad defensive game against the Dodgers last week. (He has since been sentenced to a stint with the White Sox.)
Utility guy Jon Berti has been getting starts at third, and Bruján played there for the second time Sunday. In the 10th, with the Phillies up by a run, bases loaded and two outs, Turner bounced a ball to third, but Bruján was playing at the edge of the dirt. His throw to first wasn't in time, and Philadelphia got the insurance run.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
There are also very real concerns about the team's pitching staff — especially with starter Justin Steele out for the season after elbow surgery. Brown has a 5.96 ERA in five starts. The bullpen has been, well, a bullpen, full of ups and downs. The Cubs have been mixing and matching veterans in the bullpen and recently added veteran Drew Pomeranz, who returned to the majors for the first time since 2021, to pitch in relief. Julian Merryweather, who entered Sunday's game with a 1.74 ERA and just three walks in 10 1/3 innings, walked three in the 10th on Sunday and was pulled for Caleb Thielbar, who got the final out.
The Cubs then went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to hit the road for divisional series in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Advertisement
With such needs at third base and on the pitching staff, it was head-scratching that Hoyer entered the season with a smaller payroll than last year, but presumably — and I'm taking a real leap of faith here — he'll have the money to add veteran players during the summer. Because for all the good vibes now, what Hoyer does this season could mean the difference between being happy about winning the Central with 90 wins and thinking seriously about playing for a pennant.
Still, the Cubs find themselves in first place as May beckons, and that's a good thing. With the way they're hitting, it feels like a team that can be relevant all summer and into the fall. Last season, they got off to a similar start before a crippling two-month slump in May and June.
Does it feel different his year? Hoerner told me it does.
'It's exciting, but it doesn't feel surprising,' he said. 'It feels like a product of multiple years of improvement and establishing some consistency at the major-league level, while also adding in talent both from our own system and from trades or free agents. You combine all those things and you end up in a place with a lot of really good players in one clubhouse.'
It's like the song goes, the Cubs have the power and they have the speed. But can they be the best in the National League? Probably not with the Dodgers and Mets. But maybe they'll be second- or third-best. Even fourth would be a positive step forward.
It's a long season. Ask me in October, when the Cubs hope they're still smiling, laughing and high-fiving.
(Photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shaquille O'Neal says he'd average 50 points per game if he played in today's NBA
Shaquille O'Neal says he'd average 50 points per game if he played in today's NBA Back in the day, Shaquille O'Neal was the most feared player in the NBA, and many would say he was the most dominant player the league has ever seen, especially when one tries to compare eras. He led the league in scoring average twice and averaged over 26 points a game in 10 straight seasons, and he ended up making 15 All-Star teams and winning four championships. Most of his best years came with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team he spent eight seasons with beginning in the 1996-97 campaign. The game was played differently back then, as teams played at a very slow pace and more physicality was allowed by referees. There is a false perception that, while the game is faster-paced and less physical today, the NBA has become soft and that it is too easy to score. O'Neal seemed to agree with this opinion when he claimed on a recent podcast appearance that he would've averaged 50 points a game in today's league had he been in his prime (h/t Lakers Daily). 'Somebody asked me the other day what would I average — I would average 50,' O'Neal said. 'And the reason why I'd average 50 'cause I don't do what everybody else is doing. You shoot a 3 on me, Joker (Nikola Jokic), you better [expletive] make it because I'ma run right by you and stand in the middle of the lane and watch you and your whole [expletive] team go, 'Three seconds, three seconds, three seconds!' And Penny [Hardaway] gonna push that [expletive] and throw it, and I'ma dunk it. And I know for a fact I'll make 15 2s before you make 10 3s. 'I'm getting 30. I'm getting 30 every night. And then now when you foul somebody, it's a flagrant, so guys don't really wanna foul you hard. … That's another 10 points right there, and then I'ma concentrate on the [expletive] free throw, get that elbow there — that's 45 points right there. 'Oh, Shaq couldn't play in this league.' Shaq ain't known for defense. Okay, Joker, you can hit a 3, but again, I'ma run right by you, and I'ma seal my [expletive] in the lane, and ain't nobody moving me 'cause you know why? If you move me, you make my mama move out of her house, and that [expletive] ain't gonna happen.' This is certainly a high-scoring era in the NBA. During the 2024-25 regular season, teams averaged 113.8 points a game, and 13 of the league's 30 teams averaged over 100 possessions per game. By comparison, during the 1999-2000 campaign, when O'Neal won his lone MVP award, only one team averaged over 100 possessions a game, and only seven teams averaged even 100 points per game. But anyone — even O'Neal — averaging 50 points a game today would be a very tall order. The only player to ever do so was Wilt Chamberlain during the 1961-62 season. There were many more possessions back then than there are today, and teams averaged 118.8 points per contest. In addition, team defensive schemes were very much in their infancy. O'Neal's high-water mark in scoring was 29.7 points per game during that magical 1999-2000 campaign. That was the year in which O'Neal and the late great Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to the first of three straight NBA championships.
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Jets' Stanley Cup window, a Byfuglien replacement and Logan Stanley: Mailbag, part 1
Winnipeg's Stanley Cup-winning window is open. It has to be, given the Presidents' Trophy winners' heavy veteran investment. But how long will it last? And what has to go right to keep Winnipeg on the winning track? Our June mailbag focuses on the Jets' urgency — the best way to keep the Cup contention window open, Winnipeg's path to second-line centres and big, mobile defencemen, a thought on aging curves, Logan Stanley, Dustin Byfuglien, Elias Salomonsson and more. Advertisement How do the Jets go from 2024-25 second-round exit to a Stanley Cup? Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length. Based on your analysis, how would you assess the Jets' current window for Stanley Cup contention? What key factors or best-case scenarios would need to align for them to continue making a serious push? — Ryan F. Winnipeg is heavily invested in star players — Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey — on the wrong side of 30 years old. If reading that sentence doesn't create a heightened sense of urgency, read the latest work on aging curves in the NHL. If Scheifele ages like the average NHL forward has aged from 2007-2025, he may have two seasons of No. 1 centre quality left in him before a dramatic decline. But Scheifele's a freak of nature! He'll stay great way longer than the average NHL forward! I mean, that could be true. Scheifele is freakishly dedicated to off-ice rehabilitation and plays a more cerebral game than one that depends on explosiveness. But I've heard those arguments before. They were made about Blake Wheeler, who affected five-on-five play like a middle-six winger from age 34 onward, after a decade as one of the best five-on-five players in the world. Scheifele just turned 32. Winnipeg needs to address its second-line centre issue now. Not at the trade deadline, not next summer, not in the form of Brayden Yager or Kieron Walton or their first-round draft pick. The Jets don't have time to waste, because their ability to contend depends on top-quality centres who win their minutes. Scheifele is doing that now — and so is Adam Lowry, who also just turned 32 — but Winnipeg needs its next wave to arrive while Scheifele and Lowry are still at the top of their game. One best-case scenario on this front: What if Gabriel Vilardi or Cole Perfetti are the answer, despite the Jets' concerns about their footspeed? Advertisement Another depends on Connor Hellebuyck delivering his regular-season results — or close to — in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Those are wishful, passive suggestions. Another option is striking for a second-line centre this summer, while I think a key to unlocking Hellebuyck is augmenting Winnipeg's cerebral top-four defence with a Byfuglien-esque bulldozer to open up his sight lines. How can the Jets address their recurring need for a second-line centre? Trading a first-round pick at every deadline significantly depletes their assets. — Travis R. What about trading a first-round pick at the draft? What are the odds the #NHLJets make their first round pick this year? @hustlerama asked @wpgmurat earlier this week@BenMossJeweller — Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) June 2, 2025 Murat, you mentioned that Chevy seems to have admitted he overestimated Logan Stanley's ceiling based on some plays in the playoffs against Montreal. Does this signal the Jets may be ready to move on from him either via waivers, trade or make him a press box regular? — Andywpg You've characterized Kevin Cheveldayoff's comments correctly, Andy, but let's start by making sure everyone has the context. In January, I was one of a couple of reporters who had the chance to sit down with Cheveldayoff for about an hour at the Jets hotel in Denver. Logan Stanley was a huge talking point for fans at the time — he'd been booed by a smattering of fans at Canada Life Centre after a mistake helped end Connor Hellebuyck's shutout bid against Vancouver. Cheveldayoff was asked several questions about Stanley's status in the lineup. Cheveldayoff was adamant that he doesn't tell his coaches who to put in the lineup. He acknowledged no NHL player is perfect and pointed out Stanley played several games during the Jets' 15-1 start to the season. Advertisement I made the point that Cheveldayoff may not tell his coaches who to play in the lineup, but he does control who Winnipeg has available on the roster. I noted that the Jets protected Stanley in the 2021 expansion draft and lost Johnathan Kovacevic and Declan Chisholm to waivers at consecutive training camps. Cheveldayoff rooted his response in Winnipeg's decision-making heading into Seattle's expansion draft. 'Everyone seems to forget the role that he played (in the 2021 playoffs) in winning four straight against Edmonton. He was a regular shift player, he played all the games. We go into Montreal, he's the one that scores the two goals in Montreal. So he's on a pretty good trajectory as a developing player at that point in time,' Cheveldayoff said. He went on to talk about Stanley's injuries, suggesting that they may have stalled or at least changed Stanley's development path. I bristle at this, given how clear it was that Winnipeg kept Stanley miles from top-six competition, but that's beside the point. Cheveldayoff's estimation of Stanley's ceiling was higher coming off his 2021 playoffs than it is now. I don't share your conclusion, though. (And do I detect notes of hopefulness in your question?) Stanley played 63 games this season and was a fixture in Winnipeg's April roster until injuries derailed his playoffs. He's one of seven defencemen under contract for next season (eight when Dylan Samberg signs), and he's played 70 more games than his closest competition (Heinola) at the edge of the roster. If somebody gets traded or committed to the press box, I think it's Heinola, who went over a month between games multiple times, even after returning to full health. One of Stanley's roles on the Jets roster is to take a few fights each year off Adam Lowry's fight card, especially following Brenden Dillon's 2024 departure. Advertisement By the way, if you're looking for a surprise on defence, this one might count: Heinola is just 24 years old but is on track to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Jets need to play him in 27 or more games next season to retain his rights, lest he become a Group VI UFA. Heinola's trade value is negligible, given his lack of NHL games this far into his career, but the Jets may soon add Heinola to the list of players outlasted by their belief in Stanley's potential. You have mentioned that the Jets need a 'Byfuglien-esque' player a few times. Big Buff is a unicorn, but: Can you identify some players who fit this mold currently in the league who could be available (including asking price, no-trade clauses, and realism?) — Duane W. What a wild needle to try to thread. There isn't a modern-day Dustin Byfuglien available, but we can try to recreate him in the aggregate. So, a big, mobile, offensively talented, defensively imposing right-shot defenceman. We could also force Josh Morrissey or Dylan Samberg to play on their off-hand side, if you've found a way to pry Victor Hedman from Tampa Bay. (I wish you'd let me use Miro Heiskanen as a solution here — he's a left-shot D but excels on both sides.) Vladislav Gavrikov is a left-shot pending UFA who plays with the right combination of snarl and smarts to keep a clean defensive zone while playing heavy minutes against top competition. His impact is exactly what you want from a top-four defenceman: Gavrikov makes it painful to get to the front of the net and hard to win pucks on the boards — all while moving the puck well enough to play in the modern NHL. A scroll through our latest trade board yields names like Rasmus Andersson, K'Andre Miller and Connor Murphy. Murphy is a big right-hander who has one year left on his $4.4 million contract in Chicago. He has more defensive quality to him than poor counting stats in Chicago imply, with strong underlying numbers protecting the middle of the ice and plenty of hits and blocks. However, he has a 10-team no-trade clause and might not feel like a substantial enough upgrade on Neal Pionk or Dylan DeMelo in the top four, despite playing a more rugged style. Rasmus Andersson's recent defensive numbers are porous, but he's produced a lot of points from the Flames' right side. He has a six-team no-trade clause on his $4.55 million contract, which ends next summer. (My ideal Flames acquisition for Winnipeg would be MacKenzie Weegar, who is a right-shot defenceman who plays both sides well, protects the middle of the ice, and has all of the talented truculence I've been campaigning for … but he has a full no-trade clause and Calgary is heavily invested in him.) Advertisement K'Andre Miller is a big, mobile, Minnesotan who needs a new RFA contract this summer and is eligible for UFA status in 2027. The 25-year-old is a productive, elite skater whose career arc seems worthy of long-term investment, although he's not the right-shot defenceman you seek. He doesn't have no-trade protection, which helps, but his proximity to UFA status comes with some risk. The more words I write on the topic, the more ready I am to see what Elias Salomonsson looks like in a third-pairing role this season, with occasional bumps up to Josh Morrissey's side as performance merits. It seems more likely that the Jets want Salomonsson to keep developing in the AHL, given the number of defencemen they have under contract and Salomonsson's two remaining ELC years. If you believe that there is a time crunch on Winnipeg's window to win, you'd want to take that chance. Salomonsson may be 'only' 21 years old, but the Jets were just beaten in the playoffs by a team with a 21-year-old (Lian Bichsel) on its third pair. (Top photo of Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry and Josh Morrissey: Nick Wosika / Imagn Images)
New York Times
36 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why ‘special' Caleb Desnoyers is one of 2025 NHL Draft's top prospects
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In his time in hockey, first on the agency side and now as general manager of the Moncton Wildcats, Taylor MacDougall has seen and worked with his fair share of prospects. Ask him about Caleb Desnoyers, who just centered his team's top line to a QMJHL title and won the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the league's playoff MVP, and he tries not to get carried away. Advertisement Tries … 'He's a special kid, quite frankly. And a lot of that stuff gets thrown around with top prospects but I try not to and I try to hold those standards very high,' MacDougall said on a recent phone call. 'If you're an NHL organization and you have the opportunity to tie off to this kid for the next 15 years, oh my goodness, I would sleep soundly. There's so many variables that go into trying to win a championship, but you give him 15 cracks at it over the course of an NHL career, that kid's going to figure it out at some point.' Desnoyers is a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft, the league's rookie of the year as a 16-year-old, and a QMJHL First All-Star this year after registering 35 goals and 84 points in 56 games, fifth in league scoring and second in points per game (1.50) to league scoring champ and 21-year-old overager Jonathan Fauchon. Between his MVP playoff run with the Wildcats and the Memorial Cup, he registered another 32 points in 23 games (for a combined regular season, playoff and Memorial Cup total of 45 goals and 116 points in 79 games). He also did it while playing through two wrist injuries. On Thursday morning, he told The Athletic that he'd been dealing with it since November. Before leaving for the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, he had an MRI. After the combine, he'll see a doctor about it and go over the results. 'I'll recover fast but might need to do some stuff,' he said. 'It has been a long season.' But it's not the points or big plays Desnoyers made that everybody talks about when they describe him as 'special.' Pekarcik caps off an insane setup by Desnoyers to score the very first goal of the Final! 🔥#QPlayoffs | @monctonwildcats — QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 10, 2025 He has those things. NHL Central Scouting's report talks about his hockey IQ, anticipation, two-way play, good offensive skills and vision. They call him a 'very good playmaker who also displays a scoring touch' and say he's a prospect 'who has a lot of transferable pro elements in his game.' Desnoyers describes himself as a 'competitive centerman who takes a lot of pride in all of the intangibles and the little details that people don't always recognize. Advertisement 'I'm just a versatile player (and) my main factor is that I make all of the players around me better and I'm a good leader, vocal leader,' Desnoyers said. Those who've worked closely with him will also talk about how he's one of only three players to have ever won triple gold at U17s, U18s and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. They talk about how he finished plus-51 on the Wildcats, the best player on a winning team. MacDougall said 'he has some really elite gifts and genetic gifts,' but that it's everything else that makes Desnoyers a top pick in this class. 'He's so driven, he's so competitive, he's so passionate. The intangibles that he has are through the roof,' MacDougall said. 'You just don't see them that often.' At the combine, he's one of the prospects who has really impressed in his interviews with NHL clubs. Desnoyers said he's just being himself. 'I've always had good energy and just been an enthusiastic person,' he said. 'I'm not stressed going into these and I've just tried to be myself and be Caleb Desnoyers and good things will happen.' Gardiner MacDougall, Moncton's head coach who also coached Desnoyers at last year's U18 worlds, talks about his 'tremendous leadership values' and how 'he's in the very, very elite mindset' before he talks about the skill set. 'He's one guy that makes a difference for your team whenever he walks in the rink,' he said. 'He can come in the rink in the morning and the team changes. He has that special charisma to him, that special personality to him. He connects with people as a leader, but also connects as a teammate with them and then he just proceeds to grow that as he comes on the ice for practice or for games. He's got such a bright future in front of him and it has been a real privilege to coach him because he just finds ways to get better. He's an intelligent player about the game but he's very passionate. And when you've got a performance level that he has, with the talent that he has, the smarts that he has, and then the passion that he has, it's a powerful combination.' Pascal Trepanier has worn a few different hats in Desnoyers' hockey career. Peewee AAA coach. Skills coach. And for the last 10 years, stepdad. After an 18-year career of his own that included 229 NHL games with Anaheim, Colorado and Nashville, Trepanier moved back to the Montreal area, got into coaching, and has been working with Desnoyers in one way or another since 2015. Advertisement He knows him as a hockey nerd. When they used to watch games at home, Trepanier would pause it and say, 'What did you see?' When they were done with one game and Trepanier and Desnoyers' mom, Martine, a teacher, would want to watch something else, he'd get mad and go watch another game upstairs. That runs in the family. Desnoyers' dad, David, manages the Isatis Sport St-Hyacinthe Complex and is a former tough guy defenseman who played in the QMJHL and then in Quebec's senior and semi-pro levels. His uncle, Simon Laliberté, is a former captain of the Wildcats. His brother Elliot is a former captain of the Halifax Mooseheads who was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers. At the Wildcats' QMJHL championship celebration, they named Desnoyers captain of next year's team as well. He said 'No decision has been taken yet' on whether he's going back to Moncton next season, however. 'My main goal is to play in the NHL as soon as possible, and if not, I'll be at the place where I'm able to be in the NHL the year after, and Moncton's a great choice for that,' he said. Growing up, Caleb was the youngest of three boys and always the smallest. According to Elliot, he always had to compete for everything, whether they were playing games or sports. These days, though, the playing field has leveled. Now Caleb's taller (6 feet 1.5 to Elliot's 5 feet 11), and they've been able to skate and work out in the same groups. Elliot has cherished that. 'We just push each other so hard,' Elliot said of Caleb catching up to him. 'It has been quite fun to be honest. Especially recently.' They used to talk about Elliot around the QMJHL the way they talk about Caleb now. Trusted. Reliable. Consistent. A leader. Loved by coaches. A two-way center. Elliot says he and his little brother both think the game the same way, but play at different speeds (Caleb plays faster, he admits). Advertisement Trepanier says 'everything that Elliot does is really professional' and that that has rubbed off on Caleb, from his mentality to his eating and sleeping habits. He describes them as best friends who do everything together. They train and skate together. They fish and golf together. They watch and talk hockey together. But Elliot looks up to his little brother, too. Said Elliot: 'We always discuss about hockey and I want to see his point of view on stuff as well. I look up to him in the sense of what he's doing with all of the pressure and how he's really disciplined and always wants to be better. I really admire that in him.' Elliot also describes his brother as 'quite the character.' 'He just loves to chat, loves to mess around with people and always makes people feel really good,' Elliot said. 'He's a really easy-going guy, and he has been like that forever. And he's just always so competitive in every aspect of his life.' Caleb has always had an 'aura about him where he shows up at the rink and there's just something about him that lights up the room and gets people involved,' according to Trepanier. 'There's just something, even as a young kid, that's a little bit different,' Trepanier said. 'He makes everybody around him better, and I think that's a pretty decent quality. And there's a lot of stuff for the next level that he and we need to work on but he gets on the ice and he wants to win. If it's during a drill, he wants to be the best guy. If it's during the game, he wants to be the best. And if it's a championship, then he wants to win. He's really mature. He's got one goal and it's to play in the NHL and be the best. Pretty much everything in his life is driven by wanting to be the best.' Both Caleb and Elliot acknowledge they've talked about the Flyers picking at No. 6 and the potential that they could end up in the same organization, but Elliot thinks his brother will be gone by then. Yann Joseph and Maxim Noreau are new to working with Desnoyers. Noreau only retired from his 17-year pro career last March. He started working in player development in the Montreal area right away through his agency, Quartexx, running skates twice a week for them. He first met Desnoyers at one of those skates. They clicked right away, and Desnoyers started coming to Noreau's personal skates on the south shore of the city as well. Advertisement Joseph is a Montreal-area strength and conditioning coach who trains pros such as Anthony Beauvillier and Xavier Bourgault. Last May, the Desnoyers boys and Elliot's Lehigh Valley teammate Zayde Wisdom joined him at his gym for the offseason, switching personal trainers. Joseph worked with Desnoyers to fix some postural issues that he was compensating for on the ice. After a full offseason with him, he played pain-free in his draft year because of their work together (though he did play banged up in the playoffs and into the Memorial Cup). Even though Desnoyers turned 17 just a month before starting with him, Joseph decided to train Desnoyers with his older pro group because he wanted to see if he could follow them. Immediately, he brought an enthusiasm to the gym that transferred to all of the guys. But he performed better than they did in some exercises, too. 'Those guys were like 'Whoa, OK, kid,'' Joseph said. 'So that was fun. Even if they were older, they could watch him and learn. And at the same time, he was doing the same things as those guys and he saw that they're professionals for years and could see the way they managed the workout and the recovery and that was good for him also.' Though Desnoyers says he's 6-2 and 180 pounds, Joseph would poke fun at him and call him 'chicken legs.' But 'he's way stronger than he looks,' Joseph insisted. Ahead of the draft, a few NHL strength and conditioning coaches have asked Joseph to send them Desnoyers' data from the gym. According to Joseph, they've been impressed by his numbers. 'For his size, the way he pushes the bar and the speed with which he pushes the bar is really, really impressive, even with big weights,' Joseph said. 'And when you look at him, he's got like small legs on him right now at 17 years old, and you can see he's got room for growth. But his numbers don't tell the same thing because he's really strong and fast for the size of his legs. I'd ask him sometimes, 'How can you push all that weight with those legs?' and he would laugh.' When Noreau first skated Desnoyers, he wasn't up to date on any of the up-and-coming players. That first skate was focused on shooting (Noreau was known for his shot during his playing career). Desnoyers was a natural, listening intently and picking up on his tips quickly. Right away, Noreau was struck by how hardworking he was. Advertisement 'The big thing with Caleb that I think is even a little overlooked still is attitude-wise, you talk about being a complete player, about being a dog, about being an impact in the game, and some guys want to be that guy but when the big moments come and it's a stressful situation or you've got a lot of pressure to perform, I feel like Caleb is more the type of guy that wants to be there,' Noreau said. 'If a team goes to a shootout, he wants the shot. He knows that there's a big risk and reward to it but I think he knows that 'Hey, I want that. It's on me. And if anybody's going to fail, let it be me.' And that attitude is going to bring him a long way. And sometimes he's going to fail and he won't be perfect all the time, but just to have that attitude, and even in practice he's asking me a lot of questions and why guys do certain things, and just having that, regardless of all of the other attributes that he also has, I think that's huge.' A year after beginning their work together, Noreau now believes the sum of those things will make Desnoyers a player who is used in key situations and put in leadership roles in the NHL. 'You put him out late in a game or on the PK for a faceoff or whatever it is, he's smart enough to know what his job is at that time. It's not about 'I need to be Caleb leading in points,' it's 'Hey, I've got a job to do,'' Noreau said. 'I have a discussion about that with a lot of my top guys, and I always say, 'Do you think that people don't notice in the stands if you're not out there every game late in the game?' That goes a long way, being that guy. And he wants to be that guy.' — With reporting in London, Ont. (Top photo courtesy of Daniel St. Louis / CHL)
