The 2026 NHL Draft is nearly upon us, and the St. Louis Blues have a ton of draft capital to work with--12 picks, to be precise. However, the big story is the three first-round selections they have at 11, 15, and 29 in the draft order. There have been a number of players mocked to the Blues at those picks, but one name rarely appears despite his talent level: left-shot defenseman Xavier Villeneuve.
Profile
Villeneuve is a divisive prospect. He's outrageously skilled and offensively gifted but, at 5-foot-11 and a light 163 pounds, he's not exactly what organizations are looking for at the top of their defense corps. For every Lane Hutson or Quinn Hughes, there are dozens of undersized defense prospects that never manage to stick in the league because one trait or another isn't dynamic enough to lock down a roster spot.
If he hits, though, Villeneuve would be an outstanding first unit power play quarterback--sort of in the mold of a Shayne Gostisbehere, who just won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Villeneuve's combination of skating, smarts, and skill could make him a lethal offensive weapon with top-four upside.
Likelihood of being selected by the Blues
If he's available to the Blues at 29th-overall, they should be bolting to the podium to select him. One of the perks of having three picks in the first round is that you can take a homerun swing with one of them: if the Blues play it safe with 11 and 15 by taking, say, Malte Gustafsson and Tynan Lawrence--two players with projectable NHL floors--they can go big by taking Villeneuve at the end of the round.
Whether Villeneuve plays a "Blues style" of hockey is up for debate, though; Villeneuve and his small frame get pushed around a lot, and he's not particularly physical.
What he can bring to the Blues
Villeneuve would add a clear offensive upgrade on the backend for years to come. Adam Jiricek looks like a solid second-pair defenseman, and Philip Broberg's a clear cut top-pair one--jury's out on Logan Mailloux and Theo Lindstein's ceilings. If Villeneuve hits, he gives the Blues a clear power play guy for years to come, even if he gets sheltered at five-on-five with third-pair minutes.
The Blues desperately need an infusion of skill, and Villeneuve has it in spades. Despite the concerns surrounding his projectability, the Blues should absolutely take a chance on him--they may not have a better opportunity.
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