Mammoth Prospect Out 12 Weeks After Surgery

One of the Utah Mammoth's newest prospects will miss extended time with a wrist injury.

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Caleb Desnoyers is selected as the fourth overall pick to the Utah Mammoth in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Utah Mammoth prospect Caleb Desnoyers will miss the next 12 weeks after undergoing successful wrist surgery, the team announced in a statement. Desnoyers, 18, was the No. 4 overall pick by the Mammoth in the 2025 NHL Draft.

INJURY UPDATE pic.twitter.com/yhjVHkiXvh

— Utah Mammoth PR (@UtahMammoth_PR) August 14, 2025

Desnoyers told NHL.com that wrist issues bothered him throughout all of last season with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

"Pretty much anything you can imagine you need your hands for hockey was affected by [the wrist injuries]," Desnoyers said during the NHL Scouting Combine in June. "Lucky enough I have a good staff, good facilities, and my therapist in Moncton is excellent. So I just did a lot of treatments to help me get through it and give it 100 percent every night."

Despite being in pain the entire season, Desnoyers still managed to put up video game numbers. The Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, native scored 35 goals and 84 points in 56 regular season games, then nine goals and 30 points in 21 playoff games to help the Wildcats win the QMJHL championship. He was named the most valuable player of the QMJHL playoffs as well.

All the while, Desnoyers continued to establish himself as a can't-miss NHL prospect, and Utah definitely took notice. Once the Mammoth moved up from No. 14 to No. 4 by winning the second drawing in the draft lottery, they knew Desnoyers was a strong option. Spending more time with him only confirmed that notion.

"When you spend time with him, you realize there's two things: he's a great player and is also a great person," general manager Bill Armstrong said after the draft, per KSL. "That's a valuable pick for us, so to be able to sit and spend some extra time with him and get to know him, that means a lot. I think he's a very confident young man."

Desnoyers has yet to sign his entry-level contract with the Mammoth, so he could very well return to Moncton once he recovers from his surgery. Alternatively, he could follow the route many hockey players are taking and head to the NCAA.

The Mammoth, meanwhile, enjoyed a solid first season in Utah, finishing with 89 points and staying in the playoff picture until the final week or two of the season. This season, though, the expectation is to make it to the playoffs proper.

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