Latest news with #TaylorMacDougall
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- 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)
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Wildcats coach Gardiner MacDougall reflects on family tragedy at Memorial Cup
Moncton Wildcats head coach Gardiner MacDougall speaks to media following a Memorial Cup hockey game in Rimouski, Que., on Monday, May 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov RIMOUSKI — Taylor MacDougall was expecting to see his team hit the ice at the Memorial Cup on Monday when he received a devastating phone call. Instead of watching his Moncton Wildcats take on the Medicine Hat Tigers, the hockey club's general manager met with the RCMP to identify his father-in-law, who had died suddenly of a heart attack. Gardiner MacDougall, Taylor's father and Moncton's head coach, reflected on the tragedy on Wednesday. 'You never want that phone call,' he said. 'My son, as a general manager, this is the highlight of his career. This should be the most joy he's ever had. He gets a call that will change his life 20 minutes before (that game). 'You don't have a manual or manuscript for that type of thing. He's handled it amazingly.' Patrick Buckley had arrived in Rimouski from Fredericton that afternoon and checked into his hotel with Taylor MacDougall's help. His son-in-law was the last family member to see him. Buckley drove to a nearby golf course for a round ahead of Moncton's game and was later found in his car. 'That day (Buckley) was in Fredericton. So Taylor's daughter, Lily, is four years old. He drove her to daycare that day. He kissed her goodbye, and she loved her granddad,' Gardiner MacDougall said. 'That's the last time she'll ever kiss her granddad, so it puts things in perspective. 'And then he drove, and he probably wasn't feeling 100 per cent, but he was so excited to come watch us. He came to all our playoff games.' The veteran coach held back tears when he announced the news of Buckley's death during a news conference after Monday's 3-1 loss to Medicine Hat, calling it the most difficult game he'd ever coached. Taylor flew home to Fredericton after the game to be with his wife's family. Gardiner, meanwhile, began preparing for Wednesday's must-win matchup against the Rimouski Océanic. It was Moncton's most important game of the season. But hockey, in many ways, took a back seat. 'Whatever happens tonight, we're going to live tomorrow,' Gardiner MacDougall told a group of reporters at Colisée Financière Sun Life. He also recalled a life-changing moment of his own from 1997. At the time, Gardiner MacDougall was coaching the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He was behind the bench for a game in Portage la Prairie, Man., when he learned his sister's husband — a military member stationed in Petawawa, Ont. — had been in a serious accident. MacDougall flew to Ottawa the following day to support his sister. After her husband spent six days in intensive care, the family made the difficult decision to pull the plug on his life support. 'That changed my life,' he said. 'Hey, I'm as competitive as any guy, but I had a sister. She had a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a one-year-old, and she lost her husband in 1997 just like that.' 'We'd like to hang around Rimouski. That's our goal,' MacDougall added. 'But I think that's given me an amazing perspective. It certainly changed me as a human, it really changed me as a hockey coach in 1997, that seven days in intensive care in Ottawa with my family around me and that type of thing. 'It was another bitter call that Taylor got to have changed his life.' Moncton and Rimouski — both winless through two games at the junior hockey showcase — played the final round-robin game Wednesday with a spot in the semifinal on the line. Moncton captain Markus Vidicek didn't know Buckley, but said the Wildcats felt the loss deeply. 'When it happens to one person in our team, it happens to everyone,' he said. 'So for us, it was a lot.' FOE, as in 'family over everything,' is a phrase you'll hear a lot around the MacDougalls. Taylor's message to Wildcats players back in August, when both he and his father joined the franchise, was that 'great teams are tight teams.' 'He said, 'We have to be the tightest team ever,'' Gardiner MacDougall recalled. 'When we took the job over, when you talk to other coaches, maybe the Wildcats weren't as tight as you want to be, and certainly this year they've proven (they are).' 'Patrick was just the greatest family guy,' he later added. 'We can't control some parts of life, so we just got to make the best of it today, and there's a hockey game to be played tonight.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025. By Daniel Rainbird
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Wildcats coach Gardiner MacDougall reflects on family tragedy at Memorial Cup
Taylor MacDougall was expecting to see his team hit the ice at the Memorial Cup on Monday when he received a devastating phone call. Instead of watching his Moncton Wildcats take on the Medicine Hat Tigers, the hockey club's general manager met with the RCMP to identify his father-in-law, who had died suddenly of a heart attack. Gardiner MacDougall, Taylor's father and Moncton's head coach, reflected on the tragedy on Wednesday. 'You never want that phone call,' he said. 'My son, as a general manager, this is the highlight of his career. This should be the most joy he's ever had. He gets a call that will change his life 20 minutes before [that game]. 'You don't have a manual or manuscript for that type of thing. He's handled it amazingly.' Patrick Buckley had arrived in Rimouski from Fredericton that afternoon and checked into his hotel with Taylor MacDougall's help. His son-in-law was the last family member to see him. Buckley drove to a nearby golf course for a round ahead of Moncton's game and was later found in his car. 'That day [Buckley] was in Fredericton. So Taylor's daughter, Lily, is four years old. He drove her to daycare that day. He kissed her goodbye, and she loved her granddad,' Gardiner MacDougall said. 'That's the last time she'll ever kiss her granddad, so it puts things in perspective. 'And then he drove, and he probably wasn't feeling 100 per cent, but he was so excited to come watch us. He came to all our playoff games.' The veteran coach held back tears when he announced the news of Buckley's death during a news conference after Monday's 3-1 loss to Medicine Hat, calling it the most difficult game he'd ever coached. Taylor flew home to Fredericton after the game to be with his wife's family. Gardiner, meanwhile, began preparing for Wednesday's must-win matchup against the Rimouski Océanic. It was Moncton's most important game of the season. But hockey, in many ways, took a back seat. 'Whatever happens tonight, we're going to live tomorrow,' Gardiner MacDougall told a group of reporters at Colisée Financière Sun Life. He also recalled a life-changing moment of his own from 1997. At the time, Gardiner MacDougall was coaching the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He was behind the bench for a game in Portage la Prairie, Man., when he learned his sister's husband – a military member stationed in Petawawa, Ont. – had been in a serious accident. MacDougall flew to Ottawa the following day to support his sister. After her husband spent six days in intensive care, the family made the difficult decision to pull the plug on his life support. 'That changed my life,' he said. 'Hey, I'm as competitive as any guy, but I had a sister. She had a five-year-old, a three-year-old and a one-year-old, and she lost her husband in 1997 just like that.' 'We'd like to hang around Rimouski. That's our goal,' MacDougall added. 'But I think that's given me an amazing perspective. It certainly changed me as a human, it really changed me as a hockey coach in 1997, that seven days in intensive care in Ottawa with my family around me and that type of thing. 'It was another bitter call that Taylor got to have changed his life.' Moncton and Rimouski – both winless through two games at the junior hockey showcase – played the final round-robin game Wednesday with a spot in the semi-final on the line. Moncton captain Markus Vidicek didn't know Buckley, but said the Wildcats felt the loss deeply. 'When it happens to one person in our team, it happens to everyone,' he said. 'So for us, it was a lot.' FOE, as in 'family over everything,' is a phrase you'll hear a lot around the MacDougalls. Taylor's message to Wildcats players back in August, when both he and his father joined the franchise, was that 'great teams are tight teams.' 'He said, 'We have to be the tightest team ever,'' Gardiner MacDougall recalled. 'When we took the job over, when you talk to other coaches, maybe the Wildcats weren't as tight as you want to be, and certainly this year they've proven [they are].' 'Patrick was just the greatest family guy,' he later added. 'We can't control some parts of life, so we just got to make the best of it today, and there's a hockey game to be played tonight.'
Ottawa Citizen
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
'Whatever happens tonight, we are going to live tomorrow'
Article content Article content As Taylor MacDougall, general manager of the Moncton Wildcats, and his family dealt with the sudden passing of his father-in-law Patrick Buckley on Monday, the Wildcats continued preparation for their final preliminary game of the Memorial Cup. Article content Article content That came with an understanding that regardless of the result against the Rimouski Oceanic in a contest that could end their season, the game itself is just that – a game. Article content Article content More importantly, a philosophy the team embraced early in the season, F.O.E. – Family Over Everything – is serving as foundational pillar, more significant than any final score. Article content 'Yes, it is a hockey game, but it's not like Patrick the other day, that lost his life,' Gardiner MacDougall said during his pre-game availability prior to Wednesday's contest in Rimouski. 'Whatever happens tonight, we are going to live tomorrow.' Article content On Monday, just 20 minutes before the Wildcats were set to hit the ice against the Medicine Hat Tigers, Taylor MacDougall was contacted by Rimouski RCMP, who told him Buckley had passed away in Rimouski. Buckley had driven to the city from New Brunswick that day and was out golfing. Article content Article content Taylor informed his father Gardiner, the Wildcats head coach, five minutes before the puck dropped and immediately went to the police department. Article content 'Instead of watching the first period of the game, he has to go to the RCMP and identify his father-in-law that's passed away,' Gardiner MacDougall said. 'You don't have a manual or a manuscript for that kind of thing. He has handled it amazing, as he has handled this year.' Article content Through 48 extremely difficult hours, the team players, staff and organization were united in their support for Taylor and his family as well as the Buckleys. Article content Expressions of condolences came in from across the hockey world in the two days since, offering support for the Wildcats' GM and his family.
National Post
28-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Moncton Wildcats coach Gardiner MacDougall reflects on family tragedy at Memorial Cup
Taylor MacDougall was expecting to see his team hit the ice at the Memorial Cup on Monday when he received a devastating phone call. Article content Instead of watching his Moncton Wildcats take on the Medicine Hat Tigers, the hockey club's general manager met with the RCMP to identify his father-in-law, who had died suddenly of a heart attack. Article content Gardiner MacDougall, Taylor's father and Moncton's head coach, reflected on the tragedy on Wednesday. Article content 'You never want that phone call,' he said. 'My son, as a general manager, this is the highlight of his career. This should be the most joy he's ever had. He gets a call that will change his life 20 minutes before (that game). Article content 'You don't have a manual or manuscript for that type of thing. He's handled it amazingly.' Article content Patrick Buckley had arrived in Rimouski from Fredericton that afternoon and checked into his hotel with Taylor MacDougall's help. His son-in-law was the last family member to see him. Article content Buckley drove to a nearby golf course for a round ahead of Moncton's game and was later found in his car. Article content 'That day (Buckley) was in Fredericton. So Taylor's daughter, Lily, is four years old. He drove her to daycare that day. He kissed her goodbye, and she loved her granddad,' Gardiner MacDougall said. 'That's the last time she'll ever kiss her granddad, so it puts things in perspective. Article content 'And then he drove, and he probably wasn't feeling 100 per cent, but he was so excited to come watch us. He came to all our playoff games.' Article content The veteran coach held back tears when he announced the news of Buckley's death during a news conference after Monday's 3-1 loss to Medicine Hat, calling it the most difficult game he'd ever coached. Article content Taylor flew home to Fredericton after the game to be with his wife's family. Gardiner, meanwhile, began preparing for Wednesday's must-win matchup against the Rimouski Oceanic. Article content It was Moncton's most important game of the season. But hockey, in many ways, took a back seat. Article content He also recalled a life-changing moment of his own from 1997. Article content At the time, Gardiner MacDougall was coaching the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He was behind the bench for a game in Portage la Prairie, Man., when he learned his sister's husband — a military member stationed in Petawawa, Ont. _ had been in a serious accident.
