The Utah Mammoth will spend the rest of the summer monitoring an injury to their top prospect. Center Caleb Desnoyers sustained a lower-body injury after his legs were taken out from under him by a falling Wyatt Cullen in Saturday’s matchup between Team Canada and Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase. It was Canada’s final game in the tournament.
Canada’s head coach, Misha Donskov, did not have an update on Desnoyers’ injury after the game per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman.
Desnoyers was headed for a milestone at Utah’s 2026 training camp. The 2025 fourth-overall pick could have the chance to make his case for the NHL roster after back-to-back point-per-game seasons in the QMJHL. His march towards the NHL took him through the summer’s World Junior testing grounds, where Desnoyers filled a crucial role on Canada’s lineup.
He earned his standing with six assists in seven games at the 2026 World Junior Championships – and seems set to split Canada’s top-center role with Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny in the 2027 tournament.
Now, Desnoyers stake in training camp could be knocked aside by a scary-looking injury. The Mammoth are roughly a month-and-a-half away from opening up training camp. They’ll bring together a loaded center group, including new acquisition Vincent Trocheck and the retained free agent Barrett Hayton.
Desnoyers would need to stake his claim in that bunch to stick at his natural center position. Utah could also opt to assign the 19 year old to the AHL, benefiting from a rule change that allows NHL clubs to assign one teenager to the minor leagues. That could be the likeliest outcome should Desnoyers need to miss extended time with injury.
He will also have the option of returning to the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, where he’s also recorded 218 points in 161 games and three seasons.