Xavier Villeneuve is projected to land near the end of the first round, and the Montreal Canadiens hold the 28th selection in the upcoming NHL draft. The Laval defenseman has already chosen his next step: BU and the NCAA.
BU for Xavier Villeneuve
Villeneuve completed his third campaign with the Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand, then decided in the fall that it would be his last season in the LHJMQ. He will continue his development with the Terriers de l'Université de Boston, a move that puts him on the NCAA path instead of staying in junior hockey.
The decision fits a profile that has drawn attention for a while. Elite Prospects lists him at 5 feet 11 inches and 163 pounds, and most observers see a small, offense-first defenseman who can create from the blue line.
Lane Hutson and BU
Villeneuve said the work done by the BU program with the Hutson brothers weighed heavily in his choice, using the line “le travail accompli par le programme de BU avec les frères Hutson”. That connection also explains why his game keeps getting compared with Lane Hutson’s: both are undersized, both lean on skill and puck movement, and both fit the kind of defender teams now view differently than they did a few years ago.
The comparison has sharpened the draft debate because Montreal owns the 28th pick and Villeneuve is being discussed as a late first-round option. Kent Hughes and the Canadiens can track one of the cleaner fits in the range, but the draft order still leaves a gap between projection and selection.
Montreal Canadiens at 28
That gap is the story. Villeneuve sits in the conversation for a first-round landing spot, yet the Canadiens are not positioned to choose him until No. 28, which means the board has to fall in a very specific way for the match to happen.
For Villeneuve, the route is set: BU, NCAA, and a program that already shaped his decision. For Montreal, the first-round choice arrives with a player whose profile matches a need teams are increasingly willing to bet on, even if he is not guaranteed to still be there when the pick comes up.
