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Will Butcher

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William Butcher
Butcher with the New Jersey Devils in 2019
Born (1995-01-06) January 6, 1995 (age 29)
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
team
Former teams		 Free agent
New Jersey Devils
Buffalo Sabres
Barys Astana
National team  United States
NHL draft 123rd overall, 2013
Colorado Avalanche
Playing career 2017–present

William Butcher (born January 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Butcher was selected in the fifth round, 123rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Early life

[edit]

Butcher was born on January 6, 1995, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to parents Joe and Julie.[1][2]

Playing career

[edit]

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] However, halfway through the season, Butcher was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Maxim Čajkovič.[15][16]

At the conclusion of his contract with the Wild, Butcher left as a free agent and signed his first contract abroad, agreeing to a one-year deal with Kazakhstan-based club Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on July 25, 2024.[17][18] In the 2024–25 season, on October 18, Butcher was released by the team following just 15 appearances along with fellow North American ex-NHLers Michael McLeod and Nathan Beaulieu.[19]

International play

[edit]
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Denmark
World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Czech Republic
Silver medal – second place 2013 Russia

Butcher was named to the senior United States roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.[20]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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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
2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 14 3 4 7 6 — — — — —
2023–24 Iowa Wild AHL 24 3 6 9 2 — — — — —
2024–25 Barys Astana KHL 15 0 3 3 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 275 16 98 114 34 5 1 3 4 0
KHL totals 15 0 3 3 4 — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States U17 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 5 0 6 6 2
2012 United States U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 2
2013 United States U18 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 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 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 1 2 3 0
Junior totals 28 4 12 16 8
Senior totals 10 1 2 3 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
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 [21]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2017 [22]
NCAA West First All-Star Team 2017
Hobey Baker Award 2017 [3]
NHL
All-Rookie Team 2018

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Will Butcher". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b "Will Butcher Named Best Player in College Hockey". news.du.edu. April 8, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  4. ^ NCHC (March 16, 2017). "Denver, WMU Take Home Top Honors at 2017 NCHC Awards Celebration".
  5. ^ "Butcher Helps Denver Win NCAA Championship". Colorado Avalanche. May 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  6. ^ "Devils agree to terms on a two-year entry-level deal with Will Butcher". NHL.com. August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Devils announce roster for start of 2017-18 NHL season". NHL.com. October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  8. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (October 7, 2017). "Butcher helps Devils top Avalanche". NHL.com. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  9. ^ "RELEASE: Devils Re-Sign Butcher". NHL.com. July 31, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  10. ^ Ryan, Chris (February 18, 2020). "Devils shut out by Blues as Will Butcher, Nick Merkley leave with injuries". NJ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  11. ^ Ryan, Chris (March 5, 2020). "Devils' Will Butcher out for rest of season following surgery | What it means". NJ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "Sabres acquire Butcher, fifth-round pick". Buffalo Sabres. July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Stars sign defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year contract". Dallas Stars. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "Penguins sign defenseman Will Butcher to a one-year contract". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 3, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  15. ^ "Minnesota Wild Acquires Defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins in Exchange for Forward Maxim Cajkovic". NHL.com. January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Wild acquire D Butcher from Penguins for F Cajkovic". tsn.ca. January 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "Уилл Бутчер перешёл в Барыс". Barys Astana. July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Hobey Baker winner, NHL All-Rookie d-man signs in KHL". The Hockey News. July 25, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Barys Astana Terminates Contracts of Nathan Beaulieu, Will Butcher, Michael McLeod". The Hockey News. October 18, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "2018 U.S. MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER". teamusa.usahockey.com. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "2016-2017 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  22. ^ "Denver Survives, Claims 8th National Championship". Inside Hockey. April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hobey Baker Award
2016–17 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NCHC Player of the Year
2016–17 		Succeeded by
Preceded by NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year
2016–17 		Succeeded by
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