Hallmark Actor Engaged to NHL Superstar: ‘The Easiest Yes’

In a romance worthy of a Hallmark movie, actor Celeste Desjardins has received her own bit of ice from Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl, who proposed on one knee at a beach in Mallorca, Spain, according to the couple’s Instagram posts on  July 11, 2024.

Dejardins, whose Christmas movie with Marcus Rosner, titled “An Ice Palace Romance,” will make its Hallmark Channel debut on July 27, posted a series of black-and-white photos from the romantic engagement and wrote, “The easiest yes. I love you forever.”

Leon Draisaitl Pulled Out All the Stops for His Proposal to Celeste Dejardins After Nearly 8 Years Together

Wearing a sleeveless, black maxi dress with her hair up in a messy bun, Desjardins was photographed looking stunned, covering her face in surprise as Draisaitl, wearing a white linen shirt and shorts, proposed on the rocky beach, with a set-up of flowers, circular rugs, throw pillows, candles and two small tables that held champagne, glasses and a bowl full of fresh fruit.

In Draisaitl’s post, which he captioned by writing “Forever ❤️,” he tagged wedding event planner Christina von Hunnius, who put together the romantic scene. Florist Nadja Rothkirch was also involved and posted videos in her Instagram stories of the picturesque setting, as well as a photo that showed the proposal happened just beyond an old lighthouse overlooking the sea.

Desjardins, who has also appeared in Hallmark’s three “Flower Shop Mysteries” movies, an episode of “Good Witch,” and the 2015 Hallmark movie “Lead With Your Heart,” per IMDb, posted multiple screenshots in her Instagram Stories from FaceTime calls she made to friends after Draisaitl proposed. In one with Canadian stylist Rachel Dunford, she could be seen crying with joy and holding up her large oval engagement ring.

Within a day of posting her engagement photos, Desjardin’s post had received over 30,000 likes — including from Rosner, as well as fellow Canadian-based Hallmark actors Jocelyn Hudon and Sebastian Stewart. 

Celeste Desjardins & Leon Draisaitl Have Lots of Decisions to Make About Their Future

Desjardins and Draisaitl went Instagram official in June 2018, when Desjardins posted a photo of them together with a single red heart emoji. But in November 2023, she posted a TikTok montage of videos of them together, captioning the post, “7 years ❤️,” which means they’ve been together for close to eight years.

Both 28, it’s not clear how the two met. Desjardins was born in Ontario, Canada, per IMDb, while Draisaitl was born on Cologne, Germany, where his dad played professional hockey, according to NHL.com. They eventually moved to Canada, where Draisaitl played in the Western Hockey League, per the website, before joining the Oilers as the No. 3 pick in the 2014 NHL draft.

Their engagement comes less than three weeks after the Oilers lost the Stanley Cup Final in Game seven against the Florida Panthers, which Draisaitl played with a broken rib and finger, according to Oilers Nation. The 2024-25 season will mark his last year of a $68 million, eight-year contract with the team, and fans there are buzzing about whether he’ll sign an extension with the team.

On July 1, his agent Jiri Poner told German outlet Eis Hockey News, “There’s no rush yet, but either it happens quickly, i.e. by the end of August, or it doesn’t work out at all. It will also become clear whether Edmonton wants him or not. Leon holds all the trump cards.”

While contract negotiations continue, he and Desjardins will not only start their own wedding planning, but also take part in the Ontario wedding of their close friends — Oilers teammate Connor McDavid and Lauren Kyle — on July 27, with Desjardins serving as a bridesmaid, per Yahoo Life Canada.

Liv Lane is an entertainment writer who covers the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. Based in Minneapolis, she has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. More about Liv Lane