Former Bomber forward Donavan Villeneuve-Houle is continuing to make his push for the pros. The Montreal product was invited to training camp with the NHL's San Jose Sharks.
Villeneuve-Houle was announced as one of 68 players, including long-time NHLers and top prospects, to make it to camp with the team, according to training camp rosters released Sept. 17. The news comes months after Villeneuve-Houle made his debut in the Sharks’ minor league system after four years of hockey at the Univ. of Maine.
Villeneuve-Houle was also named to the 28-man roster for the San Jose Sharks’ rookie camp earlier this month, joining a laundry list of the professional game’s best and brightest players.
Villeneuve-Houle was listed as an eligible player for all three of the team’s games at its Rookie Faceoff tournament, playing against rookie hopefuls from the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche and Utah Hockey Club, but did not dress in the games.
As a Bomber, Villeneuve-Houle played three seasons in Flin Flon from 2017-2020, putting up 134 points in 155 games and finishing with 31 goals and 67 points in his final season, part of the Bombers’ famed “Four Horsemen” top powerplay unit with Alec Malo, Mason Martin and Cole Rafuse.
Since leaving Flin Flon, Villeneuve-Houle - who goes by Villeneuve-Houle, not Houle-Villeneuve as he did in his days as a Bomber - played four seasons of college hockey at the Univ. of Maine, culminating last year with 24 points in 36 games with the Black Bears. At the end of the season, Villeneuve-Houle was signed to an amateur tryout contract with the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL team, playing four games and putting in his first professional point, an assist.
Villeneuve-Houle is also signed to join the Barracuda for this coming season and is one of two former Bombers who are likely to start this season with an AHL team - the other is former Bomber captain Tyson Empey, who got to hoist the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears earlier this year.
Villeneuve-Houle joined the Sharks’ development camp earlier this summer, following the NHL draft. There, he suited up alongside the team’s top prospects, including number-one overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini, likely to play this season for the Sharks’ main roster. Villeneuve-Houle became the latest in a long line of former Bombers to attend development camps, including former teammate Caleb Moretz, Carsen Chubak, Andrew Johnston, Justin Lies, Jesse Mychan, Cal Schell, Alex Smith, Cole Wilson, Michael Young and others.
Villeneuve-Houle's brother Noah played for the Bombers for two seasons after Donavan headed south - Houle was named the SJHL's top defenceman last year and also earned a Division I scholarship, joining the Lindenwood Lions for this coming season.
