The Utah Mammoth were draft lottery winners and winners this weekend after drafting center Caleb Desnoyers with the 4th overall pick. Bill Armstrong fielded many calls from other general managers for an opportunity to trade the pick. Thankfully, for the future of the Utah franchise, things fell into place, and Desnoyers took the ice for the development camp today.
The talk with a top 5 draft choice is always whether he is ready to make the jump to the NHL right away. It is easy to forget that these are just kids, and we were all once 18 or 17 in the case of the first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer.
The steps taken this week by Bill Armstrong have put the Mammoth on the radar. Acquiring JJ Peterka and creating salary cap space with the trade of Matias Maccelli to Toronto have shown that Utah is looking to make a strong push for the playoffs this season.
This is a strong team with tons of talent and more skill coming from the lower ranks. I do believe that this team is playoff caliber without Desnoyers on this roster. The future is bright with Logan Cooley and Desnoyers down the middle, but there is no need to rush the development of a young player and risk stunting Desnoyers's growth. This is a player who will lead a franchise and hopefully raise the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Even the players who are ready to jump to the NHL in their first year have growing pains. Cooley did not have success right away, but showed the skill that had him drafted third overall in 2022. Not until this past season did the statistics back up Cooley's skill.
The fear is that free agency does not pan out, and the trade market is too rich for Armstrong. Will he feel like he needs an addition like Desnoyers to boost the center position come opening day?
The experience of training camp in the fall for Desnoyers will go a long way, but he should be taking everything in and learning from the professionals. The expectation of making the roster should not overshadow the long-term goal.
If Desnoyers has a good camp and is not overwhelmed, it could be interesting to see if Armstrong gives him a trial run before a return to juniors. An alternative to juniors would be playing college hockey. This would be a great way to get Desnoyers another year under his belt to fill out and play against older players.