Desroches fit in perfectly in a complimentary role alongside Nolette-Robidoux and Duclos-Claude on what was one of the more impressive lines throughout the entire tournament, finishing with 4 points in 4 games. He’s a highly intelligent off-puck player, constantly getting himself in the right positions in the offensive zone to disrupt breakouts or make himself a prime passing target for his linemates. Almost all of his goals came off him reading and reacting to the play around him, gliding into space and snapping a quick and accurate shot off a one timer before the goaltender could set up or react. He had a few solid on-puck moments off the rush as well, attacking wide on defenders and shielding the puck as he traversed down low and either hooked a pass to the middle of the ice or took a bad angle shot looking to create a rebound out in front.

Desroches lead the L’Intrépide in scoring despite being a new addition to team from the M17 level and also one of their youngest players; finishing with 3 points in 3 games. The first thing I noticed about Desroches is that he’s a very intelligent off-puck player, capable of reading and reacting to the play as the F2 and cutting off outlet passes along the boards before making quick passes to the middle of the ice. On-puck I thought he wasn’t necessarily overly dynamic over creative, but he did do a good job of taking the proper routes to enter the offensive zone with control, making a dish to the outside then driving the net with speed looking to push back defenders and create space up high for puck-carriers. It’ll be interesting to see what Desroches can do as he continues to be leaned on heavily by Gatineau throughout the year.

Everything Desroches touched turned to gold in this one, finishing the game with 2 goals and an assist to lead the charge offensively for Team Daigle. His first goal came on the power play when he situated himself in the mid slot and fired a quick one timer upon reception that beat the goaltender cleanly. He got his second one not too long after in similar fashion by getting himself open in the middle of the ice and snapping a quick shot that once again found its way through the goaltender. He had a few solid on-puck movements as well, especially in the third where he was able to shield the puck from a defender while attacking off the rush and hooked a pass up high that earned him a primary assist.