Sandro Desaulniers

Sandro Desaulniers (born September 1st, 1990) is a former Victory Hockey League (VHL) right winger and former GM of the Seattle Bears, who played six VHL seasons between S12 and S17. Desaulniers was selected 6th overall in the S11 VHL Entry Draft by the Seattle Bears, and won two Continental Cup championships with the team. He took the role of Bears GM in S16, and has remained in that role to this day. Desaulniers' career highlights include two VHL championship victories, an Oates Trophy win and a Gold Medal.

Before the VHL
Desaulniers played major junior hockey with the WHL's Vancouver Giants, before declaring eligibility for the S11 VHL Entry Draft. Desaulniers' attention was turned towards the league by former VHL player turned player agent Fabian Brunnstrom, who represented Desaulniers through his 8 season career.

S10
Desaulniers declared eligibility for the S11 VHL Entry Draft in the league's 10th season, at age 19. He was picked up off priority waivers by the Ottawa Ice Dogs, the VHLM affiliate of the New York Americans. Desaulniers was buried under top players such as Brandon Azevedo, and despite being ranked as a top 3 pick early, he only finished with 14 goals and 55 points. The Ice Dogs missed the playoffs, and Desaulniers looked foward to the draft and the following season to redeem himelf.

S11
Desaulniers would in fact redeem himself, and he did it in a big way. After being selected 6th overall by the Seattle Bears, Desaulniers joined their VHLM team the Buffalo Jr. Bears, and combined with Michael Grabner to form one of the best forward tandems in the league. Desaulniers finished 4th in VHLM scoring with 53 goals and 86 assists for 139 points. He won the Oates Trophy that season for most assists, and the Jr. Bears would go on a run to the Founder's Cup finals. They would face the powerhouse Vasteras IK J20, who were the consensus pick to win, and win they did in 5 games. Desaulniers finished his VHLM career with a personal success, but missing that VHLM championship that would later prevent his entry in the VHL's Triple Gold Club.

S11
Following the Jr. Bears elimination from the playoffs in Game 5 of the Founder's Cup finals, Desaulniers was called up to the Seattle Bears along with other members of the Jr. Bears team. He played in one game for the Bears durning the playoffs, and the team was eliminated by HC Davos Dynamo in Game 6 of the Continental Cup finals.

S12
The following season, Desaulniers made the Bears out of camp and was playing on the 3rd line. The young power foward had a mediocre first season in the VHL, only scoring 19 goals and 55 points, similar to his first season in the VHLM. The Bears would return to the Continental Cup finals for a second season in a row, but this time, they would walk away with the victory in Game 7 over the Riga Reign. After this success, it was time for the Bears to rebuild.

S13
Desaulniers became the centerpiece of the Seattle Bears rebuild, and he posted 42 goals and 88 points in his second season, leading the offensive attack with little support from the supporting cast. Desaulniers was not as much of a physical presence as you'd expect from a power forward, throwing only 64 hits while taking 119.

S14
The rebuild continued for the Bears, who added Emerson Hrynyk through the draft in the off-season. Hrynyk made an immediate impact, but Desaulniers numbers slipped to 36 goals and 83 points. Desaulniers threw even less hits and was hit even more, making pundits call Desaulniers a bust as a power forward, but a solid sniper nonetheless. Young players were supposed to improve every season, but this setback had both the team and Desaulniers worried.

S15
Over the off-season, GM Alex McNeil would put more pieces in place, adding superstar forward Grimm Jonsson from the New York Americans. Desaulniers' numbers would improve to 86 points, but still was not playing at the level he was at in his 2nd VHL season. He was even less of a physical force, and begain to adapt to a role as playmaking forward. However, the Bears would shock the New York Americans in the North American Conference finals, and go to the league finals where the they would lose to the Helsinki Titans in six games. Desaulniers put up 11 points in 13 games during the post-season, his first since the S12 championship.

S16
In his fourth VHL season, Desaulniers would finally beat his career high for points. While his goal total continued to drop, Desaulniers registered 89 points in 72 games in his first season as the general manager of the Seattle Bears. Desaulniers also picked up his physical play, throwing 70 hits that season, a career high for him. The Bears went up against the Toronto Legion in the playoffs that season, and Desaulniers put up 8 points before the Bears bowed out to the Legion in the seventh and final game of their series. The heartbreaking loss would have the Bears looking for redemption the following season.

S17
Desaulniers was active in the off-season, moving up to draft Markus Strauss 2nd overall in the S17 Draft, and picking up Virgil Quincey-McDienenberg and Fayt Leingod through free agency and a trade. Many of the team's players were retiring following this season, and the Bears were looking to make one final shot at the title before players such as Jonsson, Devon De La Soul and Desaulniers would ride off into the sunset. On a stacked team, Desaulniers put up the best numbers of his career, registering 74 assists and 119 points. His one and only 100+ point season in the VHL. The Bears would once again face the Legion in the playoffs, but Desaulniers wasn't much a factor throughout the series. However, thanks to strong play from De La Soul and Jonsson among others, the Bears beat the Legion in Game 7, and would then sweep the Riga Reign in four games to win the Continental Cup, the second of Desaulniers' career.

Awards

 * Continental Cup | S12 - Seattle Bears, S17 - Seattle Bears
 * Oates Trophy | S11 - Buffalo Jr. Bears
 * Punch Imlach Trophy | S12 - Seattle Bears, S15 - Seattle Bears, S17 - Seattle Bears
 * Sam Pollack Memorial Trophy | S17 - Seattle Bears
 * North American Conference All-Star | S14 - Seattle Bears, S16 - Seattle Bears

International Career
Desaulniers has only represented Canada once on the world stage, being a last-minute addition to the S16 Canadian team after Brandon Azevedo retired. Desaulniers registered 8 goals and 17 points in 12 games in that tournament, and won his one and only gold medal.

Retirement
After winning his second Continental Cup with the Bears in S17, Desaulniers retired from the VHL. He has continued to serve as the Seattle Bears GM, and currently is 2nd in all-time Bears scoring for points, goals and assists. It is unlikely that Desaulniers will be recognized as one of the best VHLers of all-time, but he definitely will be recognized as one of the best Seattle Bears of all-time. After his retirement, Desaulniers recruited defenseman Dante Terragni to join the Bears through the GM Rule. Desaulniers' jersey number was retired by the Bears prior to the start of S22.

GM Career
In the off-season of S15, Alex McNeil would step down as General Manager of the Seattle Bears, handing the reigns to Desaulniers. Desaulniers would lead the team to a S17 VHL championship, in which he won the Sam Pollack Memorial Trophy as the league's best GM. Following the season, Desaulniers would begin to rebuild the Bears, accumulating draft picks and acquiring young talent. He would move the fledgling Buffalo Jr. Bears VHLM franchise to Saskatoon, renaming them the Wild, in a successful attempt to start fresh with their VHLM affiliate after many seasons as a laughingstock. Finally, at the beginning of S20, Desaulniers stepped down to a role as the Bears' assistant GM, naming Greg Harbinson his successor.

Contracts
S11 | S. Desaulniers signs a 3 year, $3.75 Million Dollar Deal with a Limited No Trade Clause with the Seattle Bears

S13 | S. Desaulniers signs a 4 year, $8 Million Dollar Extension with a No Trade Clause with the Seattle Bears