C
Ottawa Jr.
U15
AAA
One of the best players available for the 2022 OHL draft, left shooting centreman Nathan Villeneuve, is simply a phenomenal, can’t miss player. Villeneuve is simply one of the top players in Ontario, and at one point was even in discussions for exceptional status, which would see him entering this year's draft instead. Villeneuve is a pure talent player with an off the charts compete level, and is one of the players that coaches want to match their top defensive players against. Villeneuve has a very Crosby-like lower build, which helps him with a very explosive first two strides and above average edges. Even now, Villeneuve already has an OHL grade shot, and is capable of making an opposing goalie look silly when he decides to pick corners. Villeneuve is a very special player, who can seemingly turn on his intensity level and can be an absolute game changer. He is a very shifty player that, even though it’s not an ideal scenario, has taken knee to knee hits and been able to go on unscathed. One of the biggest questions during the offseason was if he would develop leadership qualities, which he did, and it has seen him earning the “A”. The only real problem to worry about is with his how he will adapt to a more teamwork based league in the OHL. Because he is so good, he has never had to use his teammates frequently, but with him moving up he will have to adapt, however that doesn’t seem like it will be a massive issue as he’s able to adapt to any situations. Overall, Villeneuve is one of the top available players, and could easily make an argument for a top 5 spot in 2022, where he could go on to be a game breaking forward for his OHL club.