Leafs defensive prospect starting to turn heads in the AHL
A former fourth round selection from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft for the Toronto Maple Leafs is finally getting his first real taste of professional hockey and is continuing to improve so much so that his head coach and others who are tasked with evaluating players are starting to notice.
William Villeneuve is transitioning from the Junior circuit to the professional leagues, and doing so - whether AHL or NHL - is always challenging, but it's even harder when you're a defenseman. Villeneuve currently has 1 goal and 8 points in 22 games for the Toronto Marlies after coming off of a season with the Saint John Sea Dogs where he scored 56 points in only 64 games.
Marlies head coach, Greg Moore, has been on the record saying that "He's an impressive hockey player. There's a lot of things he does with the puck and how he positions himself around the rink in his reads that is elite."
He continued by saying that "once his body continues to develop, and [William] gets stronger and faster, then all of a sudden you're going to see this pop where he's going to be able to control games offensively and defensively. He's a really special player."
In reference to his "pop", Greg Moore doubled down by saying "I've seen it. He's come a long way since the beginning of the season. You can see his confidence start to jump with the puck on breakouts, regroups, at the offensive blue line. He's starting to look like the player he was in Junior." For those who may be unaware, Villeneuve was nominated for Defenseman of the Year in the QMJHL back in 2019-20.
As the Marlies continue to improve, it is to be expected that Villeneuve follows suit as well. They currently sit at the top of the AHL's North Division and own the second best power play in the league. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and only 2 points off the top of the league.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 9 | 68 ANSWERS Leafs defensive prospect starting to turn heads in the AHL Will William Villeneuve be able to challenge for an NHL job within the next 2 seasons? | ||
| Yes, he's an exciting offensive defenseman | 44 | 64.7 % |
| No, defensemen always take longer | 22 | 32.4 % |
| No, he's not an NHL caliber defenseman | 2 | 2.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
