It’s hard to think about hockey in the aftermath of Johnny Gaudreau’s passing, but we can’t think of anything else to do. So, between now and the start of camp we will finish our Top 25 Under 25 countdown. Thanks to the 74 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players and prospects under the age of 25.
#18 William Whitelaw
Voting
18th out of 42 eligible players
Writer Rank: 19th
Reader Rank: 19th
Highest Placement: 13th (1 vote)
Most Common Placement: 16th (9 votes)
2023 Rank: Not ranked
Biography
Birthdate: February 5, 2005
Birthplace: Rosemount, Minnesota
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 173 lbs
Position: C
Shoots: Right
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd round (66th overall) in 2023
2023-24 Season
Whitelaw shot up the Columbus draft board with a point-per-game season with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL in his pre-draft season (36/25/61 in 62 games). He had signed with the University of Wisconsin by that point, and got off to a hot start with the Badgers. He had 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in the first 16 games of his freshman season. As the Badgers climbed up the Big Ten standings after a few years in the basement, Whitelaw saw his production go down. He had just 6 points over the remaining 21 games.
2024-25 Outlook
Whitelaw opted to enter the transfer portal, and this season will join a program all too familiar to the scouts and development staff of the Blue Jackets: the University of Michigan. With the elite coaches and teammates there, he has all the tools he needs to take another step. Hopefully he can make a similar leap as Gavin Brindley, another diminutive, center-capable forward whose goal-scoring doubled in his sophomore campaign.