Will Butcher
William Butcher (born January 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Butcher was selected in the fifth round, 123rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
| Will Butcher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg.webp) Butcher with the New Jersey Devils in 2019 | |||
| Born |
January 6, 1995 Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Pittsburgh Penguins New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
123rd overall, 2013 Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Early life
Butcher was born on January 6, 1995, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to parents Joe and Julie.[1][2]
Playing career
Butcher played college hockey at the University of Denver from 2013 to 2017. For his play in the 2016–17 season, Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in men's college hockey.[3] He was also named a NCHC First-Team All-Star, NCHC Player of the Year, and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year for 2016–17.[4] He helped Denver win the 2017 NCAA Championship.[5]
On August 27, 2017, as an NHL free agent, Butcher signed a two-year, entry-level maximum contract with the New Jersey Devils worth an annual base salary of $925,000.[6]
After participating in his first training camp with the Devils, Butcher made the Devils' opening night roster for the 2017–18 season.[7] In the Devils' home opener, Butcher made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche on October 7, 2017, a game in which he became the first Devils' player in franchise history to record three points in his debut, registering three assists on the power play in a 4–1 victory.[8]
On July 31, 2019, Butcher signed a three-year contract extension with the Devils.[9] On February 18, 2020, Butcher suffered a season-ending injury during the game between the Devils and St. Louis Blues. He appeared in 56 games, recording four goals and 17 assists during the 2019–20 season.[10][11]
After completing his fourth season with the Devils, and with his role diminishing in each season, Butcher was traded by New Jersey along with a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 to the Buffalo Sabres on July 28, 2021 for future considerations, in a move to clear cap space for the Devils.[12] In the 2021–22 season, Butcher saw his offensive impact decrease for the fifth consecutive season, collecting two goals and eight points in just 37 games with the Sabres.
At the conclusion of his contract with Buffalo, Butcher was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 22, 2022.[13] In the following 2022–23 season, Butcher was assigned to the AHL for the first time in his career, joining affiliate the Texas Stars. He remained in Texas for the duration of his contract, leading the blueline in scoring with 43 points while setting a franchise record with 37 assists for a defenseman in a single season.
As a free agent from the Stars, Butcher was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 3, 2023.[14]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2018 Denmark | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2012 Czech Republic | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2013 Russia | |
Butcher was named to the senior United States roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.[15]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Madison Capitols 18U AAA | T1EHL | 34 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 31 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. NTDP U17 | USDP | 46 | 8 | 23 | 31 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 26 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 67 | 11 | 26 | 37 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | University of Denver | NCHC | 38 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | University of Denver | NCHC | 38 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Denver | NCHC | 39 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Denver | NCHC | 43 | 7 | 30 | 37 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 5 | 39 | 44 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 78 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 23 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 37 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Texas Stars | AHL | 65 | 6 | 37 | 43 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 275 | 16 | 98 | 114 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | United States | U17 |  |
5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2012 | United States | U18 |  |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2013 | United States | U18 | |
7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2015 | United States | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018 | United States | WC |  |
10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 28 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 8 | ||||
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| NCHC First All-Star Team | 2016, 2017 | |
| AHCA West Second-Team All-American | 2016 | |
| NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year | 2017 | |
| NCHC Player of the Year | 2017 | |
| AHCA West First-Team All-American | 2017 | [16] |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2017 | [17] |
| NCAA West First All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| Hobey Baker Award | 2017 | [3] |
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2018 | |
References
- "Will Butcher". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- Milewski, Todd D. (April 8, 2017). "College hockey: Sun Prairie's Will Butcher becomes first Wisconsin-born player to win Hobey Baker Award". Wisconsin State Journal. Archived from the original on April 8, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- "Will Butcher Named Best Player in College Hockey". news.du.edu. April 8, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- NCHC (March 16, 2017). "Denver, WMU Take Home Top Honors at 2017 NCHC Awards Celebration".
- "Butcher Helps Denver Win NCAA Championship". Colorado Avalanche. May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- "Devils agree to terms on a two-year entry-level deal with Will Butcher". NHL.com. August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- "Devils announce roster for start of 2017-18 NHL season". NHL.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- Morreale, Mike G. (October 7, 2017). "Butcher helps Devils top Avalanche". NHL.com. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- "RELEASE: Devils Re-Sign Butcher". NHL.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- Ryan, Chris (February 18, 2020). "Devils shut out by Blues as Will Butcher, Nick Merkley leave with injuries". NJ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- Ryan, Chris (March 5, 2020). "Devils' Will Butcher out for rest of season following surgery | What it means". NJ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- "Sabres acquire Butcher, fifth-round pick". Buffalo Sabres. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- "Stars sign defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year contract". Dallas Stars. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- "Penguins sign defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- "2018 U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER". teamusa.usahockey.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
- "2016-2017 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- "Denver Survives, Claims 8th National Championship". Inside Hockey. April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database