Defencemen Poirier & Villeneuve Selected In NHL Draft

A pair of Sea Dogs defencemen were drafted into the NHL on Wednesday afternoon during Day Two of the 2020 NHL Draft. Jérémie Poirier and William Villeneuve are the 27th and 28th members of the Sea Dogs to have their name called by an NHL club on draft day.

Poirier was selected in the 3rd round, 72nd overall by the Calgary Flames. He becomes the first Sea Dog selected by the Flames and the first non-european Sea Dog to be drafted into the NHL since Cedric Pare in 2017.  Check out Poirier’s interview with the Flames below.

“I’m really happy the Flames gave me the opportunity to go out there and prove myself … it’s a dream come true.”#Flames third round pick Jeremie Poirier checks in after being selected 72nd overall! pic.twitter.com/zihffbs1Qz

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 7, 2020

The Flames selected five CHL players in this year’s draft including fellow QMJHLer Ryan Francis of the Cape Breton Eagles.

In the 4th round, William Villeneuve was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the 122nd overall pick. He is the first Sea Dog drafted to the Maple Leafs since Chris DiDomenico was selected in the 6th round of the 2007 draft. The Maple Leafs shared a video of General Manager Kyle Dubas calling Villeneuve to welcome him to the organization.

Welcome to the squad, William 👊#LeafsForever#NHLDraftpic.twitter.com/v1OPA0Kdp8

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 7, 2020

Villeneuve was the only CHL player selected by the Maple Leafs this year and one of only two Canadians chosen by Toronto.

Check out the NHL website for a complete video recap of day 2 of the draft.