The Hobey Baker is awarded to a person exhibiting strength of character, leadership qualities, and outstanding skills in all phases of the game. While it definitely says a lot about the recipient, it doesn’t mean an easy path to the NHL as most winners never make it. We can only hope that Will Butcher is part of this new trend of players who went on to start what should be successful careers after earning the award (Jimmy Vesey 2016, Jack Eichel 2015, and Johnny Gaudreau 2014).

Butcher has been an exciting prospect for a while now even if he only had his breakout season last year, he came from the US National Hockey program where he shined due to his puck skills. The label offensive defenseman that has been attributed to him evokes abilities to rush the puck, beat people one on one, and quarterback the power play. While he shows those abilities, he’s not as flashy as you might expect. He contributes to the offense more by being a smart player who knows how to create opportunities for himself and his teammates, his hockey sense serving him on both sides of the puck.

Butcher is a good skater but he’s rarely the fastest one on the ice. You won’t see him going around defenders by beating them with his speed unlike some other players on his team, he does it by being resourceful. He can turn a traditional breakout into a play that gets him all the way past the offensive blue line by misdirecting opponents. In the clip below, he turns his body multiple times to fake passes to teammates, getting defenders to move into passing lanes and creating space for him to walk in. He displays some quick stick handling that also helps him remain hard to read.

Although Butcher can rush the puck when he’s given the chance, it remains quite rare to see him do so. He prefers passing to his forwards on the breakouts. However, it doesn’t limit his ability to create scoring chances as he can make those happen from anywhere on the ice. The other team is in a constant threat of getting beat by a hard stretch pass.

High risk plays are overall uncommon for him. His game is usually simple and effective even though he can be guilty at times of keeping possession too long when he doesn’t face pressure, killing some of the momentum of his forwards, and letting the opposition establish their neutral zone defense .

Butcher stands out the most in the offensive zone. He supports the attack and features on a number of set plays that result in immediate scoring chances. You can see him leave the blue line to take the puck deep in the o-zone, he then attacks the net or finds a teammate with a pass.

Butcher also has an accurate wrist shot from the point and a strong ability to put it on net. He doesn’t waste his opportunities, gaining some speed with crossovers to get closer to the net and finding a hole in the defense to get the puck through.

On the power play, his team uses an umbrella (a strong net front presence) or 1-3-1 structure, both formations relying heavily on getting the puck to Butcher for his wrist shots. He’s the only defense man with four forwards on the first wave.

He’s not incredibly creative in his choice of plays, the puck leaves his stick to go where you expect it. Yet, when he’s in a good position to support the attack – like being part of a rush – he has the agility to separate himself from the opposition and he doesn’t precipitate his next move. He delays his pass, draws in a defender and gives the puck to an open teammate.

Will Butcher’s game is not limited to his offensive abilities, he’s also defensively responsible. In the clip above, the instant he realizes things are going south, he starts his back check to cut the cross-ice pass on the 2 on 1.

He shows a defense first mentality and seems to play the most minutes on the penalty kill. He’s always sliding back from the blue line when there’s potential for a turnover in the offensive zone, he’s able to cover mistakes, and he makes very few himself. He also tends to calm his team down in important situations as he doesn’t rush his plays under pressure.

With his remarkable anticipation and his stick work, he can break a team’s offense in the neutral zone at the beginning of a transition.

Butcher often slides over to his partner’s side of the ice to double pressure an attacker. It forces this player to get rid of the puck as he no longer has the space to enter the zone with possession. Butcher is then able to cut the forward to forward passes and nullify the attack.

He displays the same kind of abilities in his zone. He has good positioning, he never seems confused in his coverage assignments and is always aware of the play. He seems to have evolved into a much more defensively solid player over the years. The scouting reports from his draft season were saying he had the offensive touch but decision making problems in his zone.

An area where he could still improve is defending zone entries. Butcher seems too passive and gives a lot of space to attackers. He can have some trouble adjusting his speed and closing the gap. He often has awkward pivots, and he relies on his sense of timing too much to try for the poke check.

That being said, during the games I’ve watched, Butcher was used on his offside (RD) most of the time, this probably makes some elements of defense harder for him.

Overall, I think Butcher’s hockey sense earned him the Hobey Baker award. A good mind for the game is often one of the most important factor when looking at the possibility of a prospect’s game transitioning to the next levels. The fact that he was able to progress this well playing for Denver also makes you think he’s not done getting better.

While I think he has a chance to play in the top league in the future, transitioning from the NCAA to the NHL is a huge step, especially for a defenseman. I’m not sure Will Butcher will be ready to take it.

In my opinion, the 22 year old should get some seasoning in the AHL before making the jump. I have concerns his offensive game will disappear if he’s trusted with a spot in the NHL too soon. The well-oiled machine of Denver University probably helped Butcher be a bigger offensive threat, making him an important piece of their strategy, and allowing him to shoot freely. He has the necessary abilities but might not have the same support going forward and he hasn’t really shown a dominant speed or quickness that would help push his skill set to the next level (in the games I’ve watched).

That being said, I think it’s very legitimate to be excited about him. Butcher will be a thrilling prospect to watch develop in any team’s system. He has a very interesting ability to manipulate opponents and an improving defensive game. Given time, he should hopefully develop into a two-way defense men that contributes on the power play.

Author: David St-Louis @RinksideView

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