Piggybacking off the earlier look into the forwards that could make sense for the Penguins to consider with the 22nd pick in Friday’s NHL draft, let’s take a turn to the blueline.
Be it coincidence or preference, Kyle Dubas has only drafted one defenseman in the first round since he became a general manager in 2018 (the year Toronto took Rasmus Sandin 29th, from – surprise, surprise, the Soo Greyhounds). The last five first rounders Dubas has made (Rodion Amirov [RIP], Brayden Yager, Ben Kindel, Bill Zonnon, Will Horcoff) have all been forwards. Forwards have also been the first pick Dubas made in 2019, 2021 and 2022 when his first selection of the draft was in the second round of those respective years. (He did take a defenseman, Harrison Brunicke, with his first selection of 2024).
Tendencies can sometimes be broken, but that might be worth keeping in mind when handicapping who the first pick of the Pens will be. You wouldn’t go wrong betting on a forward in most years, but there are some intriguing options on the blueline to consider as well.
Xavier Villeneuve
Villeneuve could be the most polarizing prospect in the whole 2026 class. The Athletic’s recent feedback from NHL scouts included such snippets on him as, “the size and lack of willingness to defend scares the hell out of me” and from another “a bit one-dimensional and still questionable risk management”, a third saying “he can look like a mess. Bad defensive reads. A lack of strength to defend” yet another saying “Villeneuve is really bad defensively”. There was more along those lines, you get the picture.
What Villeneuve has going from him getting beyond the flaws is a very dynamic ability to impact the game as an offensive defenseman. He skates like the wind with excellent edge work. He sees the ice well and can make plays like few other. He performed incredibly well in off ice combine testing, showing that he’s one of the best pure athletes in the class. Villeneuve’s style doesn’t make fans of everyone, his positives are bright even if the negatives can be glaring at times, themselves.
To add to the consternation about his game, Villeneuve didn’t have a great draft season where he dealt with injuries and what some saw as a lack of progress in his season when he did play, including a shaky playoff when he likely wasn’t 100% in his return from an injury. Despite the unimpressive season, Villeneuve has such an extreme talent level which has kept him considered in the range to being a late-first round pick. He’ll have some teams that won’t rate him that way due to the question marks and style concerns with the lack of defensive dimension in his game, but he has his fans too.
It’s difficult to say if this is a player the Penguins are truly interested in, because this type of profile is so unique. In this day and age smaller defensemen like Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson can thrive, yet other high-risk styles like Erik Brannstrom and Ty Smith end up mostly fizzling out. NHL teams strive for game-breakers, yet they also risk drafting a new-age Marc-Andre Bergeron (tiny, dynamic, power play weapon but little else of value). And, who knows, an M-A Bergeron comparison could even prove generous for Villeneuve.
The Pens added three defensemen in the top-100 picks of the 2025 draft, the average size of the trio being over 6’3″ and 200 pounds. Is that the profile they are going to want to stick to, or conversely have they built enough there to expand their horizons to seek something different and go in the direction of skill?
Villeneuve would be an intriguing pick, if only to show the Pens are willing to take on a large degree of tolerance to look for a big swing that could add a significant player to the roster, hedging against the chance that it flames out. Drafting a player with low-end compete and questionable on ice work ethic would be something of a deviation from the profiles of most players selected recently, and could also prove to be a little too risky at 22nd overall when the prospect pool has so many other needs and possibilities to add more of a sure thing. Taking Villeneuve will be the bold move someone will make, whether or not that will be the Penguins is questionable at best.
Tommy Bleyl
Bleyl could be seen as a more moderate version of Villeneuve. Both are nearly the same size (5’11” and about 165 pounds), Bleyl adds a difference in being a right shot defender. Unlike Villeneuve who was seen as having a stagnant season in 2025-26, Bleyl is coming into the draft with his stock on a rapid and massive rise. NHL’s Central Scouting had a 4th/5th round grade on Bleyl at the beginning of the season, he ended up being the 17th ranked North American skater in the final rankings that has him looking at a possible first round selection.
Bleyl’s strength is his skating and offensive ability, he also led the QMJHL in assists from his defense position which speaks to his ability to read and develop plays in the offensive zone. He does have concerns about his overall strength and how his transition to playing in the pros will go defensively, but is considered to be a better gap and positional defender than Villeneuve (which might not be saying that much).
Dubas and the Pens love to stockpile right shot defenders, and they don’t have many in the mold that can lead the rush and could be potential power play options in the NHL. Bleyl offers that dimension and would also make for a good debate to be picked, should he be available at 22.
Ryan Lin
Lin is a player with a lot more detail, maturity and well-roundedness in his game compared to Villeneuve and Bleyl. Being closer to 180 pounds, he’s got a more pro ready body type as well. As such, the Penguins sitting at No. 22 might not be in position to draft Lin. Getting him might require moving up the board a handful of picks, which can be a challenging exercise, though not an impossible one.
Scott Wheeler says of Lin, “Lin does almost everything at a high level, executes the small things extremely well and plays the game with a rare quality, maturity and detail for a D his age. He steers play with his quiet efficiency, feel for the game, puck-moving, A-level hockey IQ, good skating (he could use another gear in straight lines, but his footwork, pivots, edges, surfing, etc., are all high-end), a great stick offensively and defensively, and head-on-a-swivel defensive play and reads (shoulder checks, positioning, etc.). He’s comfortable in any situation and playing with anyone, and excels on both special teams”.
Corey Pronman used Sandin as a comparable to Lin, which depending on how the Pens’ brass sees it would certainly make Lin fit the profile of players that they’ve been interested in previously. The big question here looks more about availability within the Pittsburgh pick rather than concerns about the player. Should Lin still be around at 22, you’d have to think he was a player that will be under heavy, heavy consideration from Pittsburgh.
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Beyond that, the Pens could make what would be considered a reach at 22 for a defender like Jakub Vanecek or Adam Goljer but neither fit the profile of a player that Dubas has selected previously in the first round. Based on the strengths of this draft, there are better defenseman at the top-half of the first round, then a gap in talent. (Wheeler has five defensemen selected in a recent mock in the top-14, then only one from pick 15-24). Based on the overall talent pool, the back-end of the first round is shaping up to be more forward-heavy, which could suggest that Pittsburgh will be adding to that area with their first pick.
