The<a href="https://theleafsnation.com"> Toronto Maple Leafs</a> announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way contract extension with defenseman William Villeneuve. 



Villeneuve, a 23-year-old right-handed blue liner, was the club’s fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. 



Villeneuve spent his junior career as a member of the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs, where he recorded 153 points in 216 career regular season games. 



Since joining the organization, he has ascended the ranks and established himself as one of the top defenders for the AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.



This past year, Villeneuve skated in 55 regular season contests while scoring four goals and dishing out 36 assists for a total of 40 points. 



He went on to add two points in two appearances during the team’s stint in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Marlies finished the regular season with a record of 37-23-4-8 before getting swept by the Cleveland Monsters.<div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="155"></div>



Villeneuve finished fifth on the team in points during the regular season, first among defensemen, trailing just Alex Steeves, Alex Nylander, Nick Abruzzese and Logan Shaw.



With Steeves and Abruzzese gone after signing with other organizations this off-season, there will be something of a scoring vacuum heading into the upcoming season for the Marlies.



The organization has added veteran forward Vinni Lettieri to the mix, and top prospect Easton Cowan could also see time in the AHL if he does not manage to stick with the Maple Leafs on a full-time basis out of training camp. 



General manager Brad Treliving has had his hands full this summer working to maintain the organizational quality following Mitch Marner’s departure via sign-and-trade to the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/line-combinations">Vegas Golden Knights</a>.



Treliving added Nicolas Roy in that trade before adding Mattias Macelli and Dakota Joshua in other moves to bolster the forward depth. <div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="148"></div>



With the NHL roster largely set, Treliving has moved on to locking up key pieces on the Marlies, as he also <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/toronto-marlies-sign-alex-nylander-one-year-ahl-contract-nhl-maple-leafs">inked Alex Nylander to a new deal</a> just days ago.