Will Butcher
Will Butcher (born January 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the New Jersey Devils 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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 6, 1995 Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S.[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | New Jersey Devils | ||
| National team |
 | ||
| NHL Draft |
123rd overall, 2013 Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
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.[2] 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.[3] He helped Denver win the 2017 NCAA Championship.[4]
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.[5]
After participating in his first training camp with the Devils, Butcher made the Devils' opening night roster for the 2017–18 season.[6] 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.[7]
On July 31, 2019, Butcher signed a three-year contract extension with the Devils.[8] 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.[9][10]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2018 Denmark | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2012 Czech Republic | |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2013 Russia | |
Butcher was named to the senior United States roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.[11]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Dubuque Fighting Saints | USHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 31 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 26 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 215 | 13 | 82 | 95 | 32 | 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 | WJC18 |  |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2013 | United States | WJC18 | |
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 | [12] |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2017 | [13] |
| NCAA West First All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| Hobey Baker Award | 2017 | [2] |
References
- Milewski, Todd D. (April 8, 2017). "College hockey: Sun Prairie's Will Butcher becomes first Wisconsin-born player to win Hobey Baker Award". madison.com. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- "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.
- "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
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jimmy Vesey |
Hobey Baker Award 2016–17 |
Succeeded by Adam Gaudette |
| Preceded by Ethan Prow |
NCHC Player of the Year 2016–17 |
Succeeded by Henrik Borgström |
| Preceded by Ethan Prow |
NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year 2016–17 |
Succeeded by Scott Perunovich |