Will Butcher

William Butcher (born January 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL). Butcher was selected in the fifth round, 123rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL entry draft.

Early life Butcher was born on January 6, 1995, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin to parents Joe and Julie.

Playing career Butcher played college hockey at the University of Denver from 2013 to 2017. For his play in the 2016–17 season, Butcher won the Hobey Baker Award as the best player in men's college hockey. He was also named a NCHC First-Team All-Star, NCHC Player of the Year, and NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year for 2016–17. He helped Denver win the 2017 NCAA Championship.

On August 27, 2017, as an NHL free agent, Butcher signed a two-year, entry-level maximum contract with the New Jersey Devils worth an annual base salary of $925,000.

After participating in his first training camp with the Devils, Butcher made the Devils' opening night roster for the 2017–18 season. In the Devils' home opener, Butcher made his NHL debut against the Colorado Avalanche on October 7, 2017, a game in which he became the first Devils' player in franchise history to record three points in his debut, registering three assists on the power play in a 4–1 victory.

On July 31, 2019, Butcher signed a three-year contract extension with the Devils. On February 18, 2020, Butcher suffered a season-ending injury during the game between the Devils and St. Louis Blues. He appeared in 56 games, recording four goals and 17 assists during the 2019–20 season.

After completing his fourth season with the Devils, and with his role diminishing in each season, Butcher was traded by New Jersey along with a fifth-round draft pick in 2022 to the Buffalo Sabres on July 28, 2021 for future considerations, in a move to clear cap space for the Devils. In the 2021–22 season, Butcher saw his offensive impact decrease for the fifth consecutive season, collecting two goals and eight points in just 37 games with the Sabres.

At the conclusion of his contract with Buffalo, Butcher was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 22, 2022. In the following 2022–23 season, Butcher was assigned to the AHL for the first time in his career, joining affiliate the Texas Stars. He remained in Texas for the duration of his contract, leading the blueline in scoring with 43 points while setting a franchise record with 37 assists for a defenseman in a single season.

As a free agent from the Stars, Butcher was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 3, 2023. However, halfway through the season, Butcher was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Maxim Čajkovič.

At the conclusion of his contract with the Wild, Butcher left as a free agent and signed his first contract abroad, agreeing to a one-year deal with Kazakhstan-based club Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on July 25, 2024. In the 2024–25 season, on October 18, Butcher was released by the team following just 15 appearances along with fellow North American ex-NHLers Michael McLeod and Nathan Beaulieu.

On November 22, 2024, Butcher signed to play the remainder of the 2024–25 season with Red Bull Munich of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

At the conclusion of his contract, Butcher returned to North America after a season abroad, signing a one-year AHL contract for the 2025–26 season with the Cleveland Monsters, affiliate to the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 9, 2025.

International play

Butcher was named to the senior United States roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Madison Capitols 18U AAA T1EHL 34 10 20 30 2 — — — — — 2010–11 Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL 2 0 2 2 0 — — — — — 2011–12 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 31 2 8 10 4 — — — — — 2011–12 U.S. NTDP U17 USDP 46 8 23 31 8 — — — — — 2011–12 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 10 0 2 2 2 — — — — — 2012–13 U.S. NTDP Juniors USHL 26 3 10 13 2 — — — — — 2012–13 U.S. NTDP U18 USDP 67 11 26 37 8 — — — — — 2013–14 University of Denver NCHC 38 8 8 16 8 — — — — — 2014–15 University of Denver NCHC 38 4 14 18 8 — — — — — 2015–16 University of Denver NCHC 39 9 23 32 19 — — — — — 2016–17 University of Denver NCHC 43 7 30 37 18 — — — — — 2017–18New Jersey Devils NHL 81 5 39 44 8 5 1 3 4 0 2018–19 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 4 26 30 18 — — — — — 2019–20 New Jersey Devils NHL 56 4 17 21 6 — — — — — 2020–21 New Jersey Devils NHL 23 1 10 11 2 — — — — — 2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 37 2 6 8 0 — — — — — 2022–23 Texas Stars AHL 65 6 37 43 16 4 0 0 0 2 2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 14 3 4 7 6 — — — — — 2023–24 Iowa Wild AHL 24 3 6 9 2 — — — — — 2024–25 Barys Astana KHL 15 0 3 3 4 — — — — — 2024–25 EHC München DEL 32 3 8 11 2 5 0 3 3 2 2025–26 Cleveland Monsters AHL 62 3 18 21 12 9 1 4 5 2NHL totals 275 16 98 114 34 5 1 3 4 0KHL totals 15 0 3 3 4 — — — — —

International

Awards and honors Award Year RefCollege NCHC First All-Star Team 2016, 2017 AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2016 NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year 2017 NCHC Player of the Year 2017 AHCA West First-Team All-American 2017 NCAA All-Tournament Team 2017 NCAA West First All-Star Team 2017 Hobey Baker Award 2017 NHL All-Rookie Team 2018