Xavier Villeneuve
| Xavier Villeneuve | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
September 29, 2007 Les Cèdres, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 162 lb (73 kg; 11 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| QMJHL team | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | ||
| NHL draft |
34th overall, 2026 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
Xavier Villeneuve (born September 29, 2007) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was selected 34th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2026 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
[edit]In 2021–22, Villeneuve played with the Lac St-Louis Grenadiers M15 AAA team, scoring 23 points in 27 games played.[1] The next year, he played in the U.S., joining the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U15 program, affiliated with the NHL team.[1] Appearing in 48 games, he posted five goals and 18 assists for 23 points.[1] After the season, he was selected in the first round of the 2023 Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.[2] During the 2023–24 season with the Armada, Villeneuve appeared in 54 games, posting eight goals and 43 points which led all rookie defencemen in the league.[3] He was named the QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year for his performance.[3]
In 2024–25, Villeneuve posted 12 goals and 50 assists in 61 games and was named the Emile Bouchard Trophy winner as the league's best defenceman.[4] He was also named a third-team CHL All-Star.[5] He returned to the Armada for the 2025–26 season and scored 36 points in the first 35 games.[6]
Villeneuve is considered a top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft.[7][8] In October 2025, he received an "A" rating from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, indicating his status as a first-round prospect.[9]
International play
[edit]| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championship | ||
 | 2025 United States | |
Villeneuve was selected to represent Canada at the 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[10] In seven games there, he recorded three assists.[1] He also participated for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World U18 Championships, posting four goals and four assists in eight games while winning the championship.[1]
Career statistics
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2023–24 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 54 | 8 | 35 | 43 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 61 | 12 | 50 | 62 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada | QMJHL | 37 | 6 | 32 | 38 | 35 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 14 | ||
| QMJHL totals | 152 | 26 | 117 | 143 | 85 | 29 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 14 | ||||
Personal life
[edit]Villeneuve was born on September 29, 2007, in Les Cèdres, Quebec.[11] At age four, his father enrolled him in figure skating classes, which he disliked.[12] He said that, at first, "I was on the ice and I was crying and screaming. I really didn't love it," but after trying out ice hockey soon after, "I started to love it. He couldn't get me off the ice."[12] Xavier is the nephew of Steve Maltais[13].
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Xavier Villeneuve". EliteProspects.com.
- ↑ Filion, Mikaël (April 4, 2024). "« Il fait ça à 16 ans? »" [“He does this at 16? »] (in French). Réseau des sports.
- 1 2 Kirshenblatt, Adam (November 20, 2025). "Offensively charged Villeneuve looks to make big impact at CHL USA Prospects Challenge". The Sports Network.
- ↑ Titus, Jacob (June 6, 2025). "Projected 2026 NHL First Round Pick Villeneuve Wins QMJHL Defenseman Of The Year". The Hockey News.
- ↑ Séguin, Christopher (June 20, 2025). "CHL Announces 2024-25 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams presented by CCM". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
- ↑ Rioux, Benoît (January 20, 2026). "Xavier Villeneuve: une peur qui ne l'empêche pas d'aller dans le coin" [Xavier Villeneuve: A fear that doesn't stop him from going into the corners]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
- ↑ Kimelman, Adam (December 4, 2025). "2026 NHL Draft: Villeneuve modeling game after Canadiens' Hutson". National Hockey League.
- ↑ Rioux, Benoît (January 20, 2026). "Quand Lane Hutson et le meilleur espoir québécois, Xavier Villeneuve, se rencontrent" [When Lane Hutson and top Quebec prospect Xavier Villeneuve meet]. Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
- ↑ Gaudreau, Jérôme (October 20, 2025). "Xavier Villeneuve et le seuil psychologique des six pieds" [Xavier Villeneuve and the Psychological Threshold of Six Feet]. Le Droit (in French).
- ↑ Therriault, Olivier (October 24, 2023). "Équipe Canada : le Rimouskois Xavier Villeneuve sélectionné" [Team Canada: Rimouski's Xavier Villeneuve Selected]. Journal Le Soir (in French).
- ↑ "Xavier Villeneuve". hockeydb.com.
- 1 2 Koreen, Mike (October 9, 2025). "Prospects Report: Armada's Xavier Villeneuve drawing Lane Hutson comparisons". Sportsnet.
- ↑ "Xavier Villeneuve - Stats, Contract, Salary & More". eliteprospects.com.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database