Could William Villeneuve Earn NHL Call Up After Signing One-Year, Two-Way Contract With Maple Leafs?

William Villeneuve is returning for another season in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ organization.

The team announced on Tuesday morning that they had signed the 23-year-old defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract. Villeneuve is coming off his best season in the Maple Leafs organization, where he put up 40 points (four goals and 36 assists) in 55 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Since being drafted by Toronto in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Villeneuve has steadily developed into a strong, offensive-minded defenseman in the organization’s system. He scored 15 more points last season with Toronto compared to the year prior.

Villeneuve saw an uptick in opportunity with the Marlies last season after fellow 2020 draft selection Topi Niemela’s game took a dip. Near the midway point of the season, Villeneuve began getting more time on the team’s top power play, with 15 of his 40 points last year coming on the man advantage.

Alex Nylander Returns To Maple Leafs Organization, Signing One-Year AHL Deal With MarliesAlex Nylander is returning to Toronto for another season.

The Sherbrooke, Quebec-born defender, a restricted free agent, was qualified by the Maple Leafs earlier this summer, allowing them to retain his rights if he were to leave for another league. However, there’s likely interest from both sides to see how he’d perform in the NHL, after this past season with the Marlies.

Villeneuve is entering his fourth season of professional hockey with Toronto. In his final year of junior (2021-22), with the Saint John Sea Dogs, the defenseman won the Memorial Cup, scoring three points in four games at the tournament.

The defenseman, yet to make his NHL debut, has tallied 90 points (nine goals and 81 assists) in 165 AHL games with the Marlies. He also scored two assists in Toronto’s only two playoff games this past spring.

William Nylander's Father, Michael, Surprises Maple Leafs' Forward With Sweden's Top Hockey HonorToronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has been named Sweden’s top hockey player of the year.

Villeneuve is the second-last RFA to be signed by the Maple Leafs, among those who were qualified by the club earlier this summer (Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson, William Villeneuve, Dennis Hildeby, Roni Hirvonen, and Niemela).

Toronto inked Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million contract on June 29. The Maple Leafs and Robertson settled on a one-year, $1.825 million deal on Saturday. Both Niemela and Hirvonen returned to Europe after each spent two seasons in Toronto with the Marlies.

Hildeby is the only remaining RFA to be unsigned. The 23-year-old had another strong season with the Marlies, putting up 16 wins and a .908 save percentage in 30 games. The goaltender also played six games with the Maple Leafs—his first stint in the NHL—and won three games while posting a .878 save percentage.