The wait is almost over for William Villeneuve. The right-shot defenceman hasn’t played since his Saint John Sea Dogs, who will host the Memorial Cup, lost in the opening round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs way back on May 12.
“It’s been pretty hard,” the 20-year-old admitted. “That first-round exit, that’s not the outcome we were expecting. We took a week away from the rink to kind of get a reset and then we came back and went at it like it was a training camp. We were on the ice for two hours every day and working out and all that. It’s been a hell of a grind. We’ll be ready to go.”
The Sea Dogs will face the Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton Bulldogs on Monday when the Canadian Hockey League championship tournament opens in New Brunswick.
“A lot of excitement around this game,” said Villeneuve, who was picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth round of the 2020 National Hockey League draft. “We haven’t played in so many days, so for us, it’s going to be important to win the first five minutes and really come out strong and take advantage right off the bat. That will be our mentality.”
Villeneuve is looking to build off a strong regular season. He produced 56 points in 64 games, led the league in plus/minus (plus-60) and was nominated for the QMJHL defenceman of the year award. The native of Sherbrooke, Que. reflected on his growth as a player during a conversation with TSN. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.
TSN: Where did you improve the most this year?
Villeneuve: “Being reliable in every aspect of the game. When I first came in [to the QMJHL] at 16, I was very offensive-minded and not good enough in my zone and not physical enough. Trying to defend better and use my body more has been a big focus this year and I’ve done a good job of that.”
Villeneuve: “Sometimes you make mistakes in practice, so I try and challenge myself and implant that in my head. And then it’s doing a lot of video work with [Leafs director of player development] Danielle Goyette, especially during the second half, and really trying to cut down on the little mistakes.”
TSN: What’s it like working with Goyette?
Villeneuve: “It’s great. You send her a text and in 10 minutes she answers and the next day you’re doing video with her. It’s pretty crazy that I have access to NHL people like that. Two years ago, I didn’t have that, so it’s been great.”
TSN: What has been the biggest message from Goyette and the Leafs this season?
Villeneuve: “It’s really, ‘Dial in on the little details of the game.’ I was at Leafs training camp early in the season and the biggest thing I saw there is that every NHL player is good at the simple plays. So, for me, through Danielle, my focus is on being great at little plays and simple plays that in the long run make a big difference.”
TSN: What stands out about the resources the Leafs organization can provide you?
Villeneuve: “Ah, it’s pretty crazy. There’s so many people who want to help you in terms of food and sleep and working out and on-ice stuff, so it’s really great to have a lot of people support you. It makes you feel confident.”
We get the lead back with Ryan Francis’ second of the game and William Villeneuve passes Thomas Chabot for the most assists by a defenseman in Sea Dogs history. What a GOAL! ????#CityofChampions@MapleLeafspic.twitter.com/Neetf9BU34
TSN: Did you watch a lot of Leafs games this year?
Villeneuve: “During the season I tried to catch some games and I was pretty into the series against Tampa. It was a great series with two top teams going at each other over seven games. You couldn’t ask for more. I would’ve liked to see them get the win, but I know they’ll be back.”
TSN: What stands out about the way the Leafs play?
Villeneuve: “Just so fast and there’s lots of movement in every zone, especially the offensive zone. They have two D and three forwards, but everybody’s moving around and creating confusion for the other team. That’s my biggest take: really fast and lots of movement, so I’ll have to work on that.”
TSN: Is there an NHL player you watched this season to learn from?
Villeneuve: “[Sea Dogs defence consultant] Paul Boutilier worked closely with Noah Dobson in New York, so he sent a lot of clips of him. I enjoyed watching and learning from him.”
TSN: What did you learn?
Villeneuve: “He’s really good at simple plays. He was working on the same thing we were working on with our team, which was trying to [manage] the gaps. Seeing him play at the highest level, you see how the little details make such a big difference. We were able to see his evolution and how he got so much better at doing the little things that Paul was teaching us.”
TSN: Have you made gains when it comes to your size and strength?
Villeneuve: “Yeah, it’s getting better. I came in at 16 at around 150 pounds and now I’m around 180. There’s still a lot of growth to do and I will keep on working in the gym this summer and trying to get stronger.”
TSN: You were named Saint John’s top academic player at the end-of-season banquet. Why is that important to you?
Villeneuve: “You never know what happens, so it’s good to stay educated in every aspect of life. I try to have conversations with people who are very intelligent. I think it helps me. And then it’s just my background. My parents have always put a lot of emphasis on school. It’s important to stay educated even if you can’t do five or six classes per semester.”
TSN: Do you have a favourite subject?
Villeneuve: “I like French. Writing and reading and stuff like that, I like that.”
TSN: Read anything good lately?
Villeneuve: “I read a book about stocks. I know it’s not good right now, but just on the psychology of money and trying to learn the little tricks.”
TSN: Like what?
Villeneuve: “To not jump on the big opportunity that looks so good and really try to dig down a little bit. There’s always a little something that you need to learn more so not being too excited about some things.”
Villeneuve: “When I was younger, we were a billet family for the Sherbrooke Phoenix during their first year. The guy we had was Dominic Talbot-Tassi and we got super close when he was living with us. I took 13 because he [wore 13].”
TSN: Former Leafs goalie Felix Potvin coached you with the Midget AAA Magog Cantonniers. Are you still in touch?
Villeneuve: “Not really. He’s a quiet guy, so he’s not really easy to reach out to. He’s doing his thing and camping and hunting and fishing, so I kind of let him do his thing. But he was a great influence on me. I really liked him as a coach and a person.”
TSN: What do you remember most from being around Potvin?
Villeneuve: “Just his love for the game. When it was game time, he was just so passionate about it.”
TSN: After winning the final 15 games of the regular season, what went wrong in the playoff series against Rimouski?
Villeneuve: “We felt very strong coming into the playoffs, but Rimouski just played a better series overall. During crunch time we didn’t capitalize and get the job done. It’s a good opportunity for us to just learn from it and bounce back. There’s lots of teams in the CHL that would like a second opportunity and we get it, so we got to take advantage of it.”
So much hard work on and off the ice to get the mem cup. Thank you to the organization for making it happen. Time for us, the players, to go out there and bring it home. Lets get it ???? https://t.co/urntmXU0ul
TORONTO – Running back Brady Oliveira of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell are the finalists for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Oliveira led the CFL in rushing this season with 1,353 yards while Mitchell was the league leader in passing yards (5,451) and touchdowns (32).
Oliveira is also the West Division finalist for the CFL’s top Canadian award, the second straight year he’s been nominated for both.
Oliveira was the CFL’s outstanding Canadian in 2023 and the runner-up to Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for outstanding player.
Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of the Montreal Alouettes is the East Division’s top Canadian nominee.
Voting for the awards is conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the nine CFL head coaches.
The other award finalists include: defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette (outstanding defensive player); Saskatchewan’s Logan Ferland and Toronto’s Ryan Hunter (outstanding lineman); B.C. Lions kicker Sean Whyte and Toronto returner Janarion Grant (special teams); and Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson and Hamilton receiver Shemar Bridges (outstanding rookie).
The coach of the year finalists are Saskatchewan’s Corey Mace and Montreal’s Jason Maas.
The CFL will honour its top individual performers Nov. 14 in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31.
It’s still difficult to put into words for reigning world decathlon champion Pierce LePage.
The 28-year-old from Whitby, Ont., had to withdraw from the Paris Olympics due to a herniated disc in his back. LePage suffered the injury in the spring but pushed to still compete. However, on July 17, he announced on social media that he would not be in Paris and needed surgery.
“I feel like there’s regret obviously — like, yes, I want to be there and things like that,” LePage said. “But I feel like there’s a lot of people and a lot of fans, friends, support, family, all the people that feeling I kind of let down, let myself down, let my coach down so I felt pretty guilty about that for a long time and still, you know going through the motions.
“Obviously it’s tough. I’m world champion. I had a lot of hopes and a lot of goals going into the Games,” he added. “It’s hard to put into words what I felt, but yeah, it sucked. But I was happy to push through as far as I could with the injury.”
LePage tweaked his back in the “end of March, early April,” doing an exercise in the gym. About two weeks later, while training for the long jump, he landed awkwardly, causing the herniated disc in his back.
LePage competed in several individual events in 2024, mostly indoors, but not a decathlon. He was also granted a medical exemption to not compete at Canadian national trials in June.
He said he knew it was “over” after a warm-up for his final competition in July before leaving for Paris. His pole broke prepping for the pole vault and hit the mat, but for the next couple of days had “a lot of nerve symptoms and a lot of pain” that stopped him from even jogging.
“Athletes go through injuries. It’s not anything new and I’ve always been someone who’s always been able to compete through injury, regardless of how severe it is,” LePage said. “So I thought that when it happened that that must be another case of small setback. I’ll be able to do it if I have some pain, like that’s fine, I’ll do whatever.
“But just the nature of the injury is that if it’s pushing on your nerves, you can’t get the results you want out of it.”
LePage, who will be one of 11 RBC Olympians who will be part of this year’s RBC Training Ground National Final on Saturday in Halifax, had surgery in August and says his progression in rehab has been good, although he doesn’t have a recovery timeline. However, he plans to be back well before the 2025 world championships in Tokyo next September.
LePage was coming off a massive 2023 season, claiming the first international title of his career in Gotzis, Austria, then winning his first world title in Budapest, Hungary, some months later. His mark of 8,909 points in Budapest was a personal best, world lead and sixth-best all-time score.
He also became the first Canadian to win a world title in the event. LePage earned his first worlds medal in 2022, with silver, behind world-record holder Kevin Mayer of France.
He finished 2023 as the top-ranked decathlete in the world, still holding that position until the Paris Olympics.
The 2023 season showed how tough LePage would be to beat, especially when healthy. He finished fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 dealing with a torn patella in his right knee. At the 2022 worlds, he competed through a torn patella in his left knee.
Many expected Canada to decathlon win gold and silver in Paris. Damian Warner of London, Ont., was the reigning Olympic champion heading into Paris and earned silver behind LePage at the 2023 worlds.
However, Warner withdrew with just a couple of events left in the decathlon in Paris after failing to clear the opening height of 4.60 metres in the pole vault on all three of his attempts. Warner fell from second to 18th, with no chance of climbing back into the mix.
LePage pointed to reasons for both men to be driven for redemption in Tokyo next year.
“I’m the world champion. I want to defend my title next year,” he said. “I’m sure Damian feels similar thoughts on not wanting to stop right there.
“No one likes to not finish decathlon. That is definitely drive to doing it again and kind of redeem ourselves, I suppose.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2024.
The six-team Professional Women’s Hockey League is launching its expansion process with plans to add two franchises for the start of the 2025-26 season, a league executive announced Tuesday.
Speaking at the ESPNW Summit in New York, senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer said the league will begin sending requests for proposals to several markets starting as early as next week, while also accepting applications.
”(We’re) looking for the right market size, right fan base, right facilities, right economic opportunity — so a lot of research to be done over the next couple months,” Scheer said, without specifying which markets the league might be targeting. “But yeah, looking to continue to build the league and grow the number of teams.”
Among the U.S. expansion candidates are Detroit and Pittsburgh, where the PWHL hosted neutral site games during its inaugural season last year. Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia would also be regarded as candidates after both were considered before the league established teams in Boston, New York and Minnesota. Denver and Seattle are also considered potential candidates.
In Canada, where the league has teams in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, Quebec City has already announced its intention of being a candidate for an expansion franchise. Calgary would be a potential option with the city previously being home to the Inferno from 2011 to 2019, before the Canadian Women’s Hocky League folded.
Scheer also announced the league plans to hold neutral site games in nine markets across North America, and is considering holding an outdoor game. Scheer added the league is also working on holding games in Europe, without specifying when that might happen.
The PWHL’s second season opens on Nov. 30, and features an expanded schedule with each team playing 30 games — up from 24 last year. The league has yet to announce where it’s neutral site games will be played.
Quebec City councilor Jackie Smith announced earlier on Tuesday that the PWHL has agreed to play a neutral site game at the city’s Videotron Centre on Jan. 19. The PWHL’s schedule has Ottawa playing Montreal on that day, with the site yet to be determined.
Smith called the development the first step in Quebec City landing an expansion team.
