On A Positive Note: Villeneuve Scores, Impresses

When young prospects anticipate training camp with the big club, from the likes of 2022 No. 1 pick Shane Wright to the 2024 Kraken draft class, the main desire is to be noticed and make that positive impression.

Mission accomplished to date for 2024 second-rounder Nathan Villeneuve. His latest attention-getting effort unfolded during Sunday’s preseason opener versus Calgary at Climate Pledge Arena. The 5-foot-11, 199-pound forward played on a line with fellow prospects, center Tucker Robertson and winger David Goyette that drew praise from Kraken Hockey Network analyst Eddie Olczyk from the first shift. He scored the only Seattle goal, one-timing a perfect cross-ice feed from veteran forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, Villeneuve’s fourth of five shots on goal Sunday. No Kraken teammate had more.

Olczyk called out how many Kraken players at the bench were high-fiving the 18-year-old, who did his best to be a pro and take the goal in stride, but he did smile just a bit when Robertson nudged and commented next to him while awaiting their next shift.

“It’s kind of a dream come true as a little kid,” said Villeneuve. “Scoring that goal was just the bonus for me. I was out there trying to play my own game. Obviously, it sucks that we lost. It was an honor to be able to play in this preseason game ... I'm someone who hates losing. If it's preseason, I still hate it. I always want to be the type of player to win.”

Villeneuve’s one-timer was impressive and his second cash-in on a great pass during a game. He scored at the 2024 Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles, converting on a pass from fellow prospect Jagger Firkus to finish off a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush against Vegas to begin a comeback that nearly erased a four-goal deficit.

Villeneuve, about whom Olczyk twice mentioned “the bite” in his game, said he is purposeful about the timing and success of his one-timer chances: “After every practice, I grab 15 Pucks and find another shooter. I like to work on my one-timer. It is something I've been doing since I started hockey and something I keep trying to improve on and hopefully get to the next level.”

Along with the five shots on goal, Villeneuve delivered three hits and more than a few chippy moves intended to agitate Flames players. One example: He gave Calgary’s Dryden Hunt (who has played 230 NHL games) a shove near the Kraken bench after the whistle. Hunt didn’t respond, but Villeneuve said post-game he was looking to keep the energy up after Seattle scored, and if a scrap ensured, he was up for it.

Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, not surprisingly, was not pleased with the competitive level of the squad Sunday. One point he made was he wants the Kraken to be more the aggressors rather than reacting to the opponent’s moves. When asked about positive factors from Sunday, he mentioned 2024 first-round pick Berkly Catton’s skillful scoring chances and next took notice of fellow draft class member Villeneuve (pronounced “vill-la-noov”).

“I thought Villeneuve clearly made a statement in this game,” said Bylsma. “Not every shift, but he had an impact on the game that was evident.”

About that “bite,” the Kraken operations group clearly likes what Villeneuve’s tenacious style of play can do to complement fellow prospects in the team’s pipeline. He was a standout at the mid-September 2024 Rookie Faceoff hosted by division rival Los Angeles.

He played both Kraken games at the tournament. In Game 1, he played on a line with center Andrei Loshko and fellow wing Jacob Melanson; the trio got “best line” reviews from the amateur scouts and player development staffers at the tourney. He picked up an assist in that game when defenseman prospect Jakub Fibigr scored off the Losko line to keep the puck in the offensive zone.

In Game 2, he scored on the aforementioned one-timer, playing with the offensively gifted Firkus and Catton. Villeneuve dropped the gloves in both games, including a Game 2 second-period scrap with Russian-born 2021 second-round defenseman Daniil Chayka, who turns 22 in October and has played 100-plus AHL games the past two seasons.

On Monday, ten prospects – five from the 2024 draft class -- were trimmed from the Kraken roster to allow those players to rejoin their junior teams as the regular season beckons (some games already played, others start this weekend). Only Catton and Villeneuve remain in camp, with third-rounder and Finnish goaltender Kim Saarinen not attending camp to begin the regular season with his HPK Hameenlinna club in Finland’s top pro league.

Villeneuve, an Ottawa native, is slated to play for Sudbury (he and Goyette were teammates for two years) and back at his normal center position. He notched 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points in 56 games last year, doubling his productivity from 2022-23.

“I was really bad in my first year [in Sudbury],” Villeneuve said on his draft day this summer, citing taking many ill-advised penalties in 2022-23. “I thought I had to be physical.”

Fun fact: Villeneuve’s points-per-minutes average during 5-on-5 play in the OHL last season was higher than Oshawa star Beckett Sennecke, who surprised even himself as the 2024 No. 3 overall pick, Sennecke, by the way, played for new AHL Coachella Valley coach Derek Laxdal at Oshawa.

For his part, Villeneuve said he is happy to absorb any and all knowledge from Kraken veterans at camp and preseason action.

“Jorden Eberle and all those guys helped me throughout [Sunday’s] game,” said Villeneuve. “They're great role models to me. I look up to them ... I just soak that all in. They’re always positive about it. There's nothing ever negative on the bench. It kind of lets me be a little bit more confident in myself. The coaching staff too. They tell you something's good, but they also kind of say in a nice way when something didn't go the right way.”

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