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FN Draft Profiles: Could Xavier Villeneuve bring even more offence to the Flames blue line?
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski/USA Today Sports
Adrian Kiss
Apr 23, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 23, 2026, 00:32 EDT
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Defencemen have not necessarily been the focus in the NHL Draft since Craig Conroy took over as GM. With 24 total draft picks to his name, only seven of them have been defencemen.
This isn’t an issue by any means. The defencemen who have been picked are solid. Obviously, you have Zayne Parekh, who is just getting his feet wet, but then you also have top prospects like Henry Mews and Mace’o Phillips, who could be knocking at the door in the next couple of years.
The goal for this upcoming draft seems to be high-end forward talent and scoring. Depending on where the Flames pick in the first round will determine a lot of their draft strategy. If the high-scoring forwards aren’t available to them, they will need to look elsewhere.
Perhaps they can bolster their blue-line depth even more and solve some of the scoring problems. With that in mind, enter Xavier Villeneuve into the conversation.

Scouting report

Villeneuve hails from Laval, Quebec, and turned 18 years old last fall. Standing at five-foot-11 and weighing 157 pounds, Villeneuve is one of the smallest defensive prospects in this draft. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in just about every other category.
Tony Ferrari from The Hockey News raved about Villeneuve, saying:
“A gifted offensive defenseman who is among the most skilled playmakers in the draft. His vision and anticipation with the puck are excellent, allowing him to create offence from the back end. Villeneuve has some of the shiftiest mitts of any blueliners in the draft class, evading pressure at the top of the zone.”
Corey Pronman from The Athletic also had a lot of great things to say about Villeneuve, but with a bit more caution:
“He has excellent speed and edge work that allows him to evade a lot of pressure. His hands and vision are high-end, and he projects to score a ton in the NHL. He’s a small, light defenceman who doesn’t play the body, and his defense as a pro will be a significant question mark.”
While size — or lack thereof — always seems to be a major talking point among defencemen, Villeneuve has given reason to believe he could still be impactful on the back end. He is quick on loose pucks and uses his high hockey IQ to avoid being exposed in situations where size would normally be a factor.
After all, the Flames are all too familiar with this “too small” conversation. Johnny Gaudreau and Dustin Wolf come to mind when you think of players who have proven size doesn’t always matter.

The numbers

Villeneuve has spent the past three seasons with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL. He’s put up very consistent numbers each season while still showing improvement.
His first season saw him record eight goals and 35 assists in 54 games. He followed that up with 12 goals and 50 assists the next season, which saw him rank second in points per game among all QMJHL defencemen at 1.02.
This year, he was on track to put up similar numbers once again. In his first 35 games of the season, Villeneuve had six goals and 30 assists before suffering an injury on Jan. 4 that saw him miss almost the entire rest of the regular season. In 12 games since returning from injury — 10 of which are playoff games — he has picked up right where he left off, scoring three goals and recording nine assists.

Availability and fit

NHL draft projections have Villeneuve going somewhere between the 15th-to-20th-overall range. With the injury he suffered and, of course, the size conversation, there is potential he could slip a few spots toward the end of the first round, but don’t expect him to drop much further than that.
With the Flames’ second first-round pick shaping up to fall within this range, there is a very good chance he is available when they make their selection.
Now the question is, do the Flames want another small, offensive defenceman who needs to see a lot of growth defensively? The Flames already have Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, who are young and still have a lot of room to grow. Prospect Henry Mews also falls into this category.
You can’t have too much scoring, especially on a team that struggles to put the puck in the net. The Flames would probably prefer to find a defenceman with more size who could do many of the same things, but still, if Villeneuve is available, they should give serious thought to drafting him.
Do you think the Flames should draft a defenceman like Villeneuve? Let us know your thoughts below.

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