The National Hockey League community loves comparing draft prospects to current players. Right now, every undersized offensive defenseman gets the comparison to Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens.
Hutson is a small defenseman who is a top-five offensive player at that position, and he is only a few years into his NHL career. The Montreal Canadiens were able to snag Hutson with a second-round (62nd overall) pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and his size played a huge role in him falling that far.
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When he started to dominate at Boston University after being drafted, the other 31 teams started to realize the mistake that they made letting him get outside of the top five, let alone well into the second round.
In his first NHL season, 2024-25, Hutson won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. One year later, 2025-26, Hutson had 12 goals and 66 assists for 78 points, and was good for 6th place in the Norris Trophy voting. He has also played in all 82 games both years.
During the 2026 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks selected a player named Xavier Villenueve, who fits a similar draft year profile. As an offensive defenseman, he stands at 5’11” and 163 lbs. It may be trendy to compare Villenueve to Hutson, but the tools are there to make it an accurate statement.
Would it be unfair to expect the young Blackhawks prospect to turn into a superstar quickly, as Hutson has? Of course it would be. However, you can expect him to develop into a player who can make the Blackhawks a better team thanks to his similar skill set.
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“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.”
If you don’t believe you can overcome your size, which is mostly out of your control as a player, it will be even more difficult to make it in the NHL. Villenueve doesn’t lack confidence, clearly.
There are plenty of people outside of him and his family who believe in him as well, including Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson and Director of Scouting Mike Doneghey.
“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).”
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Like Hutson, Villeneuve will go to Boston University. There, he is sure to gain some weight while also developing his skills. Every offensive defenseman has that worry surrounding them when it comes to their defensive game, but the NCAA will be good for him in that regard.
After that, Villeneuve will have to adapt to the pro game while finding what works in the attacking zone. Playing under Jay Pandolfo at BU will be incredible for him as he learns what will be necessary to succeed.
It looks less and less likely that Kevin Korchinski is going to be a long-term player every day. With Bowen Byram now in the mix, along with some other highly drafted defensemen in the system, can Villenueve fill that void as the offensive defenseman Kyle Davidson was looking for? That’s a question that will have a lot more clarity in the next 24 months.
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