With their initial pick of the weekend, the Blackhawks drafted a defenseman from the QMJHL, selecting Xavier Villeneuve from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
welcome to the Chicago Blackhawks Xavier Villeneuve ❤️ pic.twitter.com/D2Mpyo3bzr
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2026
Villeneuve, who’ll turn 19 in September, is a 5-foot-11, 163-pound blue-liner who’s billed as an offensive defenseman that possesses all of the traits you’d expect from a player of that archetype. Last season with the Armada, Villeneuve picked up 38 points (6 G, 32 A) in 37 regular season games and then added 14 more points (6 G, 8 A) in 17 postseason games. That was his third season in the QMJHL, and Villeneuve is committed to Boston University for the upcoming 2026-27 hockey season.
Love the Xavier Villeneuve pick by Chicago. Massive producer… that looks very similar to Chase Reid, taken 28 picks earlier.
— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) June 27, 2026
I believe 100% of dmen to register an NHLe of 24+ in their D-1 and DY have gone on to make the NHL… or will soon.
Great get. pic.twitter.com/O8Oy0F5FUc
Here’s a quick summary of Villeneuve from The Athletic:
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic profiled the newest addition to the Blackhawks franchise earlier this month:
Can Xavier Villeneuve be the next Hutson? “He’s got a special gift.”
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) June 21, 2026
My unlocked feature, with insight and anecdotes from the Armada, BU, his skills coach, the kid and more: https://t.co/gdOI71CMy5 pic.twitter.com/2YDTJvi1Aq
Those well-versed with Chicago-area hockey teams outside of the NHL will recognize the name of Villeneuve’s uncle: Steve Maltais.
The video below from Elite Prospects calls Villeneuve the “most electric defenseman” available in this year’s draft: