The Chicago Blackhawks may have found a defenseman whose upside is impossible to ignore, even if the comparison has already become a little too fashionable around the NHL.
Xavier Villenueve is the kind of prospect who invites the Lane Hutson talk immediately. He’s an undersized offensive defenseman, and that alone tends to send people straight to Montreal’s young star. Hutson, after all, was a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft at No. 62 overall, and his size helped push him down the board before he blossomed at Boston University and forced everyone else to rethink the mistake.
Villenueve fits a similar mold. Chicago took him in the 2026 NHL Draft, and at 5'11" and 163 lbs., he carries the same kind of profile that makes evaluators wonder how far skill can take a player when the frame doesn’t fit the old prototype.
The easy thing is to call that a trend. The more interesting thing is that the tools seem to back it up.
Still, nobody should expect a straight line from draft day to superstardom. Hutson’s rise has been fast and loud, and that’s not a fair standard to pin on Villenueve. What Chicago can reasonably hope for is a player who brings value because of what he can do with the puck and how he sees the ice.
"The skill-set I have is pretty rare, without being too cocky," Villenueve said after being drafted. My smartness and my feet help me get over (his size). I'm pretty confident."
That confidence matters. For a player whose size will always be part of the conversation, belief is not a side note - it’s part of the survival kit. Villenueve has that, and he has people inside the organization who clearly believe the package is real.
Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and Director of Scouting Mike Doneghey are among them. Doneghey didn’t shy away from the upside when talking about Villenueve’s place in the class.
"His only downfall is that he's 5'11," Doneghey said. "What if he were 6'1"?
Well, then he's probably (near the) top of the class. He's in that top-10 skill set with the guys who went (in the first round)."
Like Hutson, Villenueve is headed to Boston University. That path should help him add strength while sharpening the parts of his game that already stand out. For offensive defensemen, the defensive questions are always waiting in the background, and the NCAA stage should give him time to work through that side of the job.
From there, the next test is the pro game, where he’ll have to figure out what translates in the attacking zone and what needs to evolve. Working under Jay Pandolfo at BU should give him a strong runway for that transition.
The bigger question for Chicago is whether Villenueve can become the offensive defenseman Kyle Davidson was looking for. With Kevin Korchinski looking less and less likely to be a long-term player every day and Bowen Byram now in the mix, along with other highly drafted defensemen in the system, Villenueve’s path to filling that void will come into focus over the next 24 months.
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