Loading The Cannon: William Whitelaw
Today is William Whitelaw's 19th birthday, so there's no better time to check in on the young forward.
Whitelaw is currently playing for the University of Wisconsin Badgers. The freshman went to Wisconsin after playing 71 games over two seasons with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms.
In the 22-23 season, his first full season in the USHL, he played in 62 games and had 61 points. Whitelaw scored 36 goals in those 62 games. In the playoffs, he played in 9 games and had 9 points.
Back at Wisconsin, Whitelaw has played in 25 of the team's 28 total games thus far. The 19-year-old has managed a stat line of 7-6-13. He has two multi-goal games and 4 multi-point games to his credit. He's currently 11th on his team in points production and 7th in goals scored. The Badgers are 20-6-2 on the season.
The Whitelaw pick is a trend by the CBJ front office of drafting undersized wingers, including Gavin Brindley, Luca Pinelli, and Jordan Dumais.
What The Scouts Have Said
Tony Ferrari - The Hockey News - June 5th: "Whitelaw is an undersized skilled winger who plays a water-bug game and does everything he can to put opposing players on their heels. Whitelaw is excellent at corralling the long flip pass through the neutral zone, tracking the puck over his shoulder, and creating separation like an NFL wide receiver."
Chris Peters - Flo Hockey - June 1st: "He put up big points in the USHL, was even better in the playoffs, and added more bite to his game. Still, he does not have a big frame and at points can play too individualistic to have success at the professional level which is why there’s a fair amount of risk tied to him."
Steven Ellis - Daily Faceoff - May 29th: "Whitelaw hasn’t let his small frame stop him from putting a beating on goalies across the United States. His 5-foot-9 frame will be the thing that tears him down the most, but the skill is apparent."
It'll probably be a few years before we get to see Whitelaw playing for Cleveland or Columbus, but people are excited for this kid. He has some offensive punch and by the time he reaches year 3 for Wisconsin, he could very well be a 25-30 goal scorer in the Big Ten. He's definitely a long shot to make the Jackets down the road, but GM Jarmo Kekalainen saw something in him to draft him in the third round, so anything's possible.
Happy Birthday to William Whitelaw.
More From THN Columbus
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.