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2021 NHL Draft Profile: Samu Salminen

Last year, I profiled William Villeneuve ahead of the draft. He was a big-ish QMJHL RHD who led the league in points by defenseman. The Leafs ultimately drafted him in the fourth round, which made me feel awfully smart.

The thing is, though, that his pick was a gamble. Having looked into prospects more, I’m cooler on him than I was at the time. I was more willing to overlook his shortcomings, which I did see more of as I watched him this year.

What I had also said, which was more correct, is that William Villeneuve would be a big developmental project that could pay off in the long run.