William Whitelaw doesn't come with the fanfare surrounding many of the top prospects for the Blue Jackets. Maybe he should. After bouncing around the NCAA for a couple of years, he found a home with Western Michigan this season, putting up big numbers as a junior.
The top prospects list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue: Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside.
Top prospect #16: RW William Whitelaw
How we ranked him: Curtis (18), Mike (16), Matthew (16), Weston (12), Struan (15). Wiliam was ranked #17 on last year's list.
Whitelaw was drafted by the Blue Jackets in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft, with pick #66 overall. They took him from the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, where he had put together an impressive draft year; scoring 36 goals and 61 points in 62 games played.
The following year, he took the leap to the NCAA level, choosing the University of Wisconsin. After a quietly productive freshman campaign (10-7-17 in 37gp), he opted to enter the transfer portal, winding up with the Michigan Wolverines.
As a sophomore, he again had a quietly productive season (11-7-18 in 35gp), but still wasn't content. Through two universities, he struggled to carve out his role and showcase the player he is capable of being. So, he entered the transfer portal again, ultimately landing on the University of Western Michigan. That turned out to be the right move.
In his third season of NCAA hockey, William finally found a place where he belongs. He scored 19 goals and 35 points in 39 games for the Broncos, finishing third on the team in scoring while nearly doubling his career-high in points.
You could make the argument that Whitelaw could be quite a bit higher on our prospects list. For an organization that desperately needs scoring wingers to develop, he's an important prospect that they need to make an impact at some point down the road.
He's a burner down the wing, using his speed to generate time and space for himself. With the puck on his stick, he's more of a shooter (as evidenced by his goals to assists ratio at each level); and he's capable at it.
Whether it's from long-range or with a quick release in tight, he can score from a variety of different shot types, often without much time and space. When you put it all together, it's easy to see why this guy has had a relatively productive NCAA career so far, despite bouncing around a little bit.
For all of the positives however, there are some negatives here as well. William is very slight, listed at just 5'9" and 174 pounds. And, he will need a lot of polishing away from the puck. These things have not held him back to this point, but as the competition ramps up; he will need to prove that he can weather the physical and consistency demands that come with playing against professional men.
The good news is, his skating and shooting will give him a good starting point, wherever he plays. For the time being, that's Western Michigan. I'm excited to see what he can do with some year-over-year consistency. Dare I say he's a dark horse for the Hobey Baker Award?
Pros: skating, shot, high offensive motor
Cons: size, raw without the puck
Projection: speedy middle six sniper
I think William will be a player to watch within this team's system this year. It will be his final year of college hockey, and he has the ability to dominate the game. If the does that, expect him to get a lot more attention from the organization and the rest of the league.
That would be the best outcome for all involved here, because this is exactly the kind of player the Blue Jackets need to develop into an NHL talent.
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