NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Colin White

Get to Know Colin White
Date of Birth: 1/30/1997
Place of Birth: Hanover, MA, USA
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 183 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing/Center
Team: United States National Under-18 Team

Colin White is not your typical mid-to-late first round prospect, especially coming from the US Development Program. His game is much more mature and while he isn’t nearly the flashy prospect some of his teammates are, White’s game is already more suited to a pro style system.

A player whose exceptional work ethic is a product of his background, where both parents were high-level athletes and instilled in him early on that hard work and dedication were necessary if he wanted to make sports a priority in his life, White is a coach’s dream and that maturity will help him be selected in the first round come draft day.

Committed to Boston College next year, White should not expect to spend more than a couple of years in the NCAA.

Statistics

What Scouts See

eliteprospects.com:

A prolific scoring threat, Colin White is a strong 3-zone player with an eye for scoring chances. Thinks the game at a high level and always seeks to make an impact on the ice, with or without the puck. Never seems to be outbodied and is an exceptional skater. Puck-possession is definitely a strength. All-in-all, a skilled, 200-foot player that does all of the little things right and is able to make a large impact on the game and its outcome.

Future Considerations:

Strong, well-rounded, two-way center…one of the best skaters for this draft…great speed with an excellent stride and tremendous acceleration…moves quickly and is tough to handle when he hits top speed…has great strength on his skates and is tough to separate from the puck…battles hard for possession…drives the net and is strong in close…

Can beat a goalie in many ways…has a great shot and also distributes the puck well…a very hard worker with an edge to his game…great on defense with a great defensive stick and strong defensive-zone awareness…always in the right spots on the ice and he is a tremendous worker.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Two-way players coming into their draft year are always safe prospects that you can rely on to work hard and eventually crack the NHL someday. While White certainly embodies that description, his offensive arsenal seems to be underrated as most of his hype surrounds his defensive ability. I love his stickhandling ability, especially in tight spaces, as he’s able to create space and opportunities for himself and his teammates. His patience is his best offensive attribute as he reads the game at a high level.

Skating. Pure and simple. While he could stand to bulk up and add strength, there basically isn’t a single prospect in the draft that that simply isn’t true for. Where White really needs to spend the majority of his time is with a skating coach. He takes short, choppy strides and takes too long to get to his underwhelming highest gear. If there’s one big hole in White’s game that could keep him from the NHL, it’s his skating ability. Skating is everything in the NHL and he needs to get it figured out if he wants to make it.

Highlights



NHL Potential

If White is ever your leading scorer in the NHL, there’s a decent chance you’re picking pretty high every year. He’s a talented player and his positional versatility to go from center to wing is always helpful in carving out a career but his high-end ability simply won’t be enough to carry a team. Still, he’s a very hard worker and legitimately good 3-zone player who should find a role as a second line center/wing who can handle heavy defensive zone starts.

Expected Draft Position

White seems to have found a strong foothold as a late first round prospect as his highest ranking is 20th overall by Future Considerations Hockey and his lowest 29th by CSS. While anything is possible with just under 6 weeks remaining until draft day, it appears White is likely a lock for the second half of the first round.

How Does Colin White Fit in Avalanche Organization?

Not very well, to be honest. While a talented prospect, he doesn’t have the buzz or the traits the Avalanche front office loves in order to shock the hockey world and make him the 10th overall selection but he’s too solid all-around as a prospect to realistically expect to see him drop to the second Avs selection at 40th overall.

Should that somehow happen, White would represent an excellent value for the Avalanche organization and place himself right next to current top forward prospect Conner Bleackley in the organization’s rankings. His two-way play and all-around excellence make him a near guarantee to make the NHL someday even if he does not hit his full NHL potential because there is always value in talented players who play heavy 200-foot games.

Because of the maturity of White’s game, he isn’t nearly as raw a prospect as most of the USHL prospects and his timetable for reaching the NHL should be significantly shorter. Instead of being a 4 year developmental prospect, it’s not unreasonable to believe White would begin knocking on the NHL door within 24 months of being drafted.

All of that said, the Avalanche are still in dire need of quality wingers and White could certainly fill that need but it appears as if the prospect and availability simply won’t match up come draft day.