The 2026 NHL Draft will be held in June at a site to be determined. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile on defenseman Xavier Villeneuve with Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Full draft coverage can be found here .

Xavier Villeneuve doesn't have to look far to find his ideal role model.

The defenseman for Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League only needs to check about 30 miles to the east to watch Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson .

Villeneuve (5-foot-11, 162 pounds), like Hutson (5-9, 162), is an undersized offensive dynamo with an oversized chip on his shoulder.

His offensive instincts and competitiveness in all areas of the ice earned Villeneuve

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