Team Lafleur 6 vs Team Crosby 5 Shootout
#2 D, Xavier Villeneuve
Team: Lafleur (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL)
Height/Weight: 5’11”, 157 lbs
Shoots: Left
DOB: September 29, 2007
Overview:
Xavier is an electrifying offensive-minded defenseman with great agility and dazzling puck-handling abilities up the rush, showing significant potential for the 2026 NHL draft as a 1st round pick. Known for his tremendous confidence in carrying the puck and reading the offensive zone, Villeneuve brings a unique flair to the back end for the Armada as even though he is quite the risk taker, he is excellent at understanding when to take risks for the team’s own good. When looking at offensive defensemen, Villeneuve does an excellent job at utilizing his shot as much as he can to cause havoc, or even score. However, his small size limits his effectiveness in physical battles in the corners as, and he’ll need to add a lot of strength to succeed at the NHL level because even though the league has many smaller players now, the league is now as physical as ever and he will need to get ready to endure long 82 game seasons.
Player Projection
Ceiling: First Pair Offensive Defenseman
Floor: Top 4/5 Offensive Defenseman, PP QB. (If not, unlikely NHL shot)
Special Teams: PP1 Quarterback
Production Outlook: 55–65 Points
Pick Range: Mid 1st Round
Strengths:
- Skating and Edgework: Villeneuve’s agility is elite, with quick pivots and tight turns.
- Puck Skills and Passing: Soft hands make his passing smooth and effective, supporting his offensive style.
- Offensive Awareness: Villeneuve has the confidence and vision to be quite the quarterback from the blue line in any scenario (Not even on the powerplay).
Weaknesses:
- Physicality and Balance: Building strength is an absolute must for him to him to be more durable.
- Defensive positioning and decision making with the puck in his own end.
- Discipline: Needs to be mindful of how he possesses himself, especially how he handles external factors.
In-game observations:
- At 3.5-minute mark of the 1st, in the offensive zone, although played too high, showcased confidence with the puck and skating, weaving through the blueline and passing to Cossette-Ayotte.
- At the 1st minute of the 2nd period, was not mindful of where he was passing the puck and created a turnover in his own end.
- Near the end of 4-on-4 in the halfway mark of the 2nd, where it seemed that Villeneuve trapped himself, he exploded very quick out of it and distributed to Blais.
- Near the halfway mark of the 3rd, Villeneuve received the puck from Myloserdnyy, and then he sprung Ovcharov with a flat and hard breakout pass off the boards.
Skater Ratings:
- Skating: 7
- Puck Skill: 7
- Scoring Ability: 5.5
- Playmaking Ability: 7
- Hockey Sense/IQ: 6
- Character: 5
- Physicality: 3
- Defensive Play: 4