Looking back, this Toronto Maple Leafs season has been an interesting one and a disappointing one. One player that so many fans clamored to get a larger opportunity on the team is just a little defenseman that was playing big minutes in the AHL but never really got a shot.
William Villeneuve eventually did get that chance later in the season, but how did he do?
William Villeneuve’s stats
Villeneuve recorded 30 points, which include three goals and 27 assists, in 61 regular-season games played for the Toronto Marlies this year, in which he led the team in that category. He finished with a minus-one rating and accumulated 64 penalty minutes, the second most on the team.
Villeneuve led the Marlies during the regular season in powerplay assists (14), which is also good for the top 10 among AHL defencemen, showing his usage as a quarterback on the special teams unit for a team that didn't have the best powerplay percentage nor the worst.
YOU'RE VILLY GONNA WANT TO SEE THIS! ⬇️
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) March 14, 2026
William Villeneuve scores late in the third to make it 3-2! pic.twitter.com/WfuqbTdjDO
Did William Villeneuve live up to expectations?
The expectations for Villeneuve before the season started were mainly to gain further development down in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies this season and to hopefully propel them to success, as there was no clear guarantee or sign that he would get much playing time with the Leafs.
It’s safe to say he has done that and then some by also showing he can be an elite choice on the blueline and a threat on special teams.
Not to mention Villeneuve earned a brief, yet deserved, stint with the Leafs in the last three games of the season. Although he didn’t record a point in those games, the chances of him getting any ice time with the Leafs were slim due to how promising the defence core for the Leafs looked on paper in October.
What do we expect from William Villeneuve next season?
What could be expected from Villeneuve next season is to have a future with the Toronto Maple Leafs. As for his role, he is basically a top blueline pairing for the Marlies, which is the biggest part he could play at this point.
To start next season, to secure a bigger and more permanent role for the Leafs, one of the current defencemen would have to be shipped out. This would give Villeneuve a good shot at cracking the opening night roster and some longevity and room to further grow his game into a top-pairing type of player he has already shown shades of. If not, he can force management to slot him into the season lineup by having an impressive training camp next fall.
Nevertheless, continued production should be expected of the 24-year-old. That’s the bottom line: to have him produce whenever he is on the ice, and he has exemplified that both on even strength and special teams.
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