Blackhawks select Xavier Villeneuve No. 34 overall at the 2026 NHL Draft
The Chicago Blackhawks have selected defenseman Xavier Villeneuve with the No. 34 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Villeneuve was projected to be selected around 24th overall on average across all of the main draft rankings, going as high as 5th and as low as 65th. He was also ranked 18th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis projected him to go close to consensus at 25th overall.
Ellis had this to say about Villeneuve in his most recent draft rankings:
“Just because Villeneuve will go lower due to his smaller 5-foot-11 frame doesn’t mean I dislike him. Villeneuve was one of the best defensemen at the 2025 U-18 World Championship, helping Canada win gold. He had 62 points last season in the Q and would have surpassed that this year if he hadn’t missed about 25 games due to injury. Villeneuve can drive the play from the point and is as good as anyone in this draft class on the man advantage. I loved him at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in particular – it felt like he was playing with a boatload of confidence. Will he defend well enough at the next level? Lin is more rounded, as a smaller defender, and I know scouts are concerned about Villeneuve’s potential in his zone. But… man, he’s fun to watch.“
Villeneuve spent the entirety of his 2025-26 season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He had six goals and 32 assists for 38 points in 37 games, but missed a decent chunk of time due to injury, as the Armada finished second in the Western Conference with a 40-18-5-1 record. While the Laval, Quebec product was only xth in scoring among defensemen in the QMJHL, he was one of only three to score above a point-per-game pace along with fellow 2026 draft eligible Tommy Bleyl and Nashville Predators 2025 fourth-round pick Alex Huang.
Villeneuve had an excellent postseason as well, as he had six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 17 games, as the Armada were eliminated in the semifinals by the Moncton Wildcats. Despite exiting a round early, he was fifth in playoff scoring among defensemen and first among players whose teams did not make the finals.
Villeneuve also won defensive rookie of the year in the 2023-24 season and defenseman of the year in 2024-25.
Villeneuve is committed to Boston University for the 2026-27 season.
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