The Blue Jackets opted to take another undersized forward in the third round, nabbing high scoring right wing William Whitelaw from the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. Like fellow Jacket pick Gavin Brindley in the second round, Whitelaw has the potential to become a dynamic scorer in the NHL.
This could turn out to be a sneaky good pick in the third round, much like the one the Jackets made last year, Jordan Dumais. Whitelaw scored 36 goals and 61 points in 62 games, to lead the Phantoms in scoring this season. He added 9 points in 9 playoff games with the team as well – and they were a pretty good team, winning the Clark Cup this season.
William Whitelaw, 5’9″, 175 pounds
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) – Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA, committed)
Playstyle comparisons: Cole Caufield, Alex Debrincat
NHL upside: middle six scoring winger
Professional ETA: 2025 or 2026
William Whitelaw: penalty killing SPECIALIST pic.twitter.com/xgk3oplJDq
— Youngstown Phantoms (@YtownPhantoms) March 17, 2023
Aside from his size and scoring ability, Whitelaw shares another important attribute with Brindley: he’s hyper competitive and works hard to get to the dangerous scoring areas – an attribute that will benefit his development every step of the way. Whitelaw buzzes around the ice and knows where he’s going with the puck before it even gets to his stick. Once he has it, he can dish it out, but he’s also got a quick release and an accurate shot, which makes him a dangerous scoring threat from anywhere in the offensive zone.
Like any other mid-round pick, there are some deficiencies to his game that he’ll have to weed out. Most importantly, there have been concerns about his consistency; but that’s something I expect to be sorted out with maturity and playing at the NCAA level. You have to be really good on a shift by shift basis to play in that league, so it will come.
His competitive nature and work ethic will definitely help him in that regard. Experience will help him improve his overall/defensive game as well, which is the other area where he’ll need some polishing. But if he can clean up these shortcomings, this is a player whose skill could make him a big time steal in the third round. I think he’s got the potential to be a 30 goal scorer at the NHL level – it will just take some time and the right environment.
This is another player that I’m sure the Jackets picked up, not expecting to be available in the range they picked him. He’ll be a rising asset, especially if his scoring starts popping off at the NCAA level. They could benefit largely from other teams valuing size over skill here, and it’s very possible that we look back on this draft in five years and wonder how we were able to get him.