Elliot Desnoyers is going to debut for the Flyers tonight. Elliot is awesome, even if he isn’t technically NHL ready.

Elliot was a 5th round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. His skating and his motor paired with fantastic instincts made him an extremely intriguing defensive prospect.

The worry was about the offensive side of his game. That worry was quickly alleviated in his final season at the QMJHL, where he put up 88 points in 61 games.

What really puts Desnoyers on the radar, though, has been his ability to translate that offense to the pro level.

In 48 games with the Phantoms, Elliot has 19 goals and 36 points. Surpassing fellow 2020 draftee Tyson Foerster for the team lead.

For Tyson’s sake, I feel obliged to note that he’s a year behind in his development after a major shoulder injury took him out of hockey for nearly the whole of the 21-22 season.

With that said, the bottom line for Elliot has changed.

There is now reason to believe that Desy has REAL two-way center potential. Not merely a defensive specialist.

For a player comp, I like to think of the upside as Anthony Cirelli for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A fantastic, speedy middle six center who can take over a shift in a variety of ways.

The Flyers, on the other hand, are decidedly not awesome. They suck. They are major, unforgivable amounts of ass.

But if you needed a reason to watch tonight (besides Jack Hughes doing something electric), then you could do way worse than Desy.

Mandatory Credit: Johnny Ulecka