Devils’ Colton White Turning Heads With Impressive NHL Stint

In fact, that’s the 17th-best mark among defensemen in the entire league, just 0.01 xGA/60 behind Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty, who White looked up to growing up.

“[Doughty] is from London and so am I,” White told THW. “I’m not as offensive as he is, but he was kind of like the two-way guy that molded the game, and he played in the Ontario Hockey League as well, so I got to see a lot of him, just how dynamic he was with the puck, and he would lay big hits and tilt the ice in his favor.”

Speaking of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), not only was White returning to the Devils already a full-circle moment, but Devils’ head coach Sheldon Keefe coached White for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds when he was just 16 years old. Now they’re reunited.

“[White’s] obviously, an older and more mature guy now, but I’ve always thought he was a very intelligent player, and part of being intelligent is being observant,” said Keefe. “I think he learns from others and takes in a lot of information, not the loudest guy but he’s got a great personality. Very honest and genuine person, so he’s an easy guy to be around, and when that’s the case: Guys want to help you. Guys want to talk to you. So it’s been great, he’s been a real nice, I call it surprise with how he’s played, and I’m thrilled for him … He’s been very good for us. The numbers show it.”

After making it through years where the possibility of never returning to the NHL was “always in the back” of White’s head, he’s had to play with a myriad of different partners, is often placed on his off-hand, and was healthy scratched a few times as well. His stifling defensive game never wavered regardless. Now, he’s finally seen an extended run of playing time while playing alongside veteran Brenden Dillon.

Per Moneypuck, 174 defensive pairings have played over 99 minutes this season. Dillon and White’s 0.60 goals against (per 60 minutes) ranks fourth. “I like to think [Dillon and I] are great friends off the ice,” said White. “He’s been very helpful. Honestly, even the first day I got here last year, he’s been very welcoming and always has time to talk, whatever it might be. On the ice, he’s very, very vocal and he’s played a lot of games so, you know, you can always learn something from him. He always comes to the rink with a great attitude and he’s someone I look up to, for sure. But on the ice, it’s been great … he can move the puck really well … he blocks shots, he fights, he kind of is the ultimate team guy, so it’s been a privilege to play with him.”

None of White’s recent success should come as a surprise when you consider that his entire career has been devoid of guarantees, yet he keeps finding a way. When the Devils drafted him — 97th overall — he soon played 11 games in the ECHL with a minus-7 rating. Just 5.8% of players to ever suit up in the ECHL have played a single NHL game. And for many of those, it was just a one or two-game cup of coffee.

What sets White apart is that he’s always viewed his time in the minors as a gift in his journey: “I’ve been all over the roadmap, I guess you can say … I think it gives you a lot of time to work on your game. There are certain parts of your game, whether it be offensively or defensively, that you can work on in a developmental league, so you have more time to work out and train and build your body as well.”

With the Devils’ smorgasbord of injuries over the past couple seasons — plus some cap troubles — having a steady defenseman like White, who knows exactly what his role is, proves to be very valuable. “If you ever try to get outside of what is your strength, I think that’s when you start to struggle or don’t play well,” said White. “First and foremost, I don’t need to be rushing the puck and that type of thing. [I’m] just looking to keep the game simple, good breakout passes, that sort of thing, and then sticking to that foundation.”

“It’s a great lesson for any player that’s in Utica right now,” said Keefe. “[If] you feel like you should be here [in New Jersey], or you should have been here, it just goes to show how valuable the defensive side of the game is and bringing a level of consistency to who you are and what you’re doing.”

Now, it is important to note that White has averaged just 12:16 of ice time per game and, as Keefe pointed out, “his matchups haven’t been too difficult.” Nonetheless, White has given the Devils exactly what they’ve needed out of a bottom-pairing defenseman: rock-solid steadiness.