Ranking at 3rd among Leafs defenseman prospects, William Villeneuve comes in at #8 in the Maple Leafs prospect rankings. Villeneuve was selected in the fourth round, 122nd overall by the Maple Leafs from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.
After he was drafted, Villeneuve spent two more full seasons with the Sea Dogs as the assistant captain of the squad. In his four seasons with Saint John, Villeneuve played in 216 games, putting up 153 points (21g, 132a) and contributing to his team winning the Memorial Cup over the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2022.
The former Sea Dog briefly joined the Marlies in the 2020-2021 NHL season but only appeared in two games. His first full season with the Leafs AHL affiliate came in the 2022-23 season. Villeneuve joined as an playmaking, offensively minded defenseman and continued that playstyle with 25 points (3g, 22a) in 54 games as an AHL rookie.
Villeneuve continued to establish himself as a playmaking defenseman over the next couple of years, repeating his point production in the 2023-24 season with 25 points (2g, 23a) before making the biggest leap in his point production last year.
What they did last season
Last season, Villeneuve had a significant jump in point production, netting 40 points (4g, 36a) in 55 games, a 15 point difference from his previous two seasons. While he did start the season slow going pointless in the last 6 games, he picked it up as the year went on and ended with 19 points in his last 20 games of the year.
The blueliner showed versatility at his position last season spending time on both the left and right side, but mainly on the right as a right-handed defenseman. He played with multiple defense partners as well which included Marshall Rifai, Dakota Mermis, Cade Webber, Mikko Kokkonen, Topi Niemela, Nicolas Mattinen, Tommy Miller and Matteo Pietroniro. He was able to find some success with each defenseman, never displaying a plus/minus in the negatives with a single defense partner.
What to expect this season
After Villeneuve recently signed a one-year, two way deal worth $775,000, it's fair to expect that he will be near the top of the list of defencemen we could see called up to the Maple Leafs this season. At 23 years old on a one-year deal, he could be on a make or break year. Not just in the AHL, but at the NHL level if he does get called up.
As a right handed defenseman in the Leafs system, he could very well get the call to the NHL at some point this season. After all, the average age of right defencemen on Toronto is 32.3, which includes 35-year-old Chris Tanev and 34-year-old Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Age and injuries play a big factor in an 82 game season, and it seems to be an inevitability that players will need to be called up.
If Toronto needs to call up a defenseman and wants experience, they could look to guys like Matt Benning and Philippe Myers. But if Toronto is looking for a younger callup that is ready to prove they are at an NHL level, than Villeneuve could fly to the top of that list.
How does Villeneuve fit into the Leafs plans?
It's clear that Villeneuve doesn't fit into the Leafs immediate plans. They have viable options on the blue line, and he hasn't even had the chance to prove his worth at the NHL level. That being said, they do have an aging right side of their defense and he could fit into their plans a couple of years down the line.
With the fact that his new contract is just a year, there is some doubt as to how heavily involved Villeneuve is in Toronto's long term plan. But if they didn't see any sort of fit, they wouldn't even have given him another year to prove his worth.
The past few years, Toronto has experienced as well as any team how important a right-handed defenseman can be, and how hard one may be to come by. Will Chris Tanev be healthy enough to play a full 82 games at 35 years old and beyond with his physical play style? It's tough to tell, so having a guy that you can fall back on can be important.
If Villeneuve continues to improve his game this season, the Leafs will have a tough decision with his contract whether to commit to him at an NHL level or to let him go elsewhere. The fact that they gave him another deal tells me that while Toronto may not have him in their immediate plans, he could very well fit on an NHL squad in their 2-3 year outlook and can potentially be a piece in their lineup this season should he be needed.
What is Villeneuve's NHL ceiling?
The Leafs prospect isn't by any means showing signs of being a superstar, but could still be a viable option in the NHL. Standing at 6-foot-2, 187lbs he isn't exactly a giant out there, but size isn't a huge issue either. His puck-moving playstyle doesn't dictate that he needs to be a big player to find success.
I don't see Villeneuve being a top pair defenseman in his career, but I could see him being a consistent second pair guy, potentially playing between 15-20 minutes a night in his prime. Don't expect this to be right away. He is heading into his 4th full season in the AHL but with his play steadily improving each year, it's unfair to say that he is going to be a career AHLer.
If this does come with Toronto, it may not be this year but more likely in the following seasons. But for this year Villeneuve will be looking to keep improving his play, building his name in the AHL and potentially breaking into the NHL for the first time in his young career.