[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

From Jan.8th: The CHL has some very enticing young defensemen in this year's draft crop, and "A"-rated LD Xavier Villeneuve (5'11",162lbs) is one of them. One of his biggest detriments is that he is one of the oldest players available in the 2026 Draft, born on Sept.29th, 2007, but he was still second in scoring by D in the QMJHL in his D-minus-1 year in 2024-25, piling up 62 points in 61 games- which led the 8th-placed Blainville-Boisbriand Armada's blueline brigade by a massive 30 points (!). In the current season, he is leading his team's backend by 16 points, sporting 6 goals and 36 points in 35 games, for the 6th-place Armada- who are 3rd in goals-for. In last year's U-18 Worlds, Villeneuve was excellent- placing second in scoring by D in the tournament, with 4 goals and 8 points in 7 games, en route to a Gold-Medal for Team Canada. Though he only picked up 1 point over 2 games in November's CHL-USA Prospects Challenge, there were some who thought he was Canada's best player in that event- he was everywhere on the ice, mucking it up, and even throwing some hits- which drew the ire of the NTDP's troops on a few occasions.

While he doesn't possess ideal size, Villeneuve is a tenacious battler with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and doesn't shy away at all from the rough stuff- he will even throw his weight around to dislodge pucks. He plays with a high motor, stirs the pot, and outworks larger opponents. He can also outrun his opponents, as he is one of the best skaters in this draft class, sporting elite speed, and inhuman agility on his edges; when combined with his lightning-quick hands, he could stickhandle in a phone booth- and does as much when weaving through small holes in traffic like few players can. Villeneuve is fun to watch, as he is confident with the puck on his blade, highly intelligent, and dynamic. These traits make him one of the best blueliners in his age group when it comes to driving transition- he tilts the ice for his team from the defensive zone, to the other end of the ice expeditiously by pass, or by carry, and is a master of manipulation by deception. Once installed in the offensive zone, he can dismantle defenses with his sky-high vision and creativity, along with his activity rate, wielding a keen eye for passing seams, or small pockets of open space to attack. Villeneuve walks the line with slick footwork and deception in the form of feints and rapid directional changes, to shake off pressure and open space to activate; he has a decent shot, but he mostly uses it as a tool in his playmaking arsenal to create opportunities for teammates in the slot. Defensively, he works hard to limit time and space for attackers, but he struggles a bit because of his lack of size and reach, and seems to have a deficiency in his awareness in his own zone, where he is prone to being out of position at times. That said, he is proficient at shaking off pressure in retrievals, while skating with his head up to scan, and he makes sound decisions in his outlets to create advantages in breakouts- doing so with poise and confidence. The defensive game needs work, but he's a potential top-4 defenseman in the show who can run a PP.