William Bitten
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1998)
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William Bitten (born July 10, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third-round, 70th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
| Will Bitten | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Born |
July 10, 1998 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg; 12 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Center/Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
HC Sochi St. Louis Blues Spartak Moscow | ||
| NHL draft |
70th overall, 2016 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Playing career
Bitten played major junior hockey with the Plymouth Whalers, Flint Firebirds, and the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2014–2018. During his tenure in the OHL, he was selected in the third-round, 70th overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.
During his final junior season with the Bulldogs, Bitten was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on March 7, 2018.[1]
After attending training camp with Montreal in approach to his first professional season, Bitten was traded by the Canadiens to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Gustav Olofsson on October 3, 2018.[2] He was assigned to begin the 2018–19 season with the Wild's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
Remaining in the AHL for the duration of his entry-level contract, Bitten was re-signed by the Wild to a one-year, two-way contract extension on August 9, 2021.[3] Continuing in his fourth season within the Wild organization in 2021–22, Bitten collected 3 goals and 8 points through 23 games before he was traded by the Wild to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Nolan Stevens on December 29, 2021.[4] Bitten immediately responded to the change of scenery, increasing his offensive totals in posting 10 goals and 25 points through 45 regular season games. In the post-season, Bitten led the Thunderbirds in scoring in propelling the club to the Calder Cup finals, collecting 8 goals and 21 points in just 18 games.
As a restricted free agent, Bitten was re-signed by the Blues to a two-year, two-way contract extension on July 13, 2022.[5] He was returned to the Thunderbirds to begin the 2022–23 season, before he received his first recall to the Blues on December 3, 2022.[6] He made his NHL debut with the Blues that night, skating on the fourth-line, in a 6-2 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins.[7] He registered his first point, an assist, in his next appearance, helping the Blues to a 7-4 victory over the New York Islanders on December 6, 2022.[8]
As an unrestricted free agent from the Blues, in the 2024 offseason, Bitten signed his first contract abroad after agreeing to a one-year deal with Russian based HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL, on August 7, 2024.[9]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | Ottawa Jr. Senators | CCHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Plymouth Whalers | OHL | 63 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Flint Firebirds | OHL | 67 | 30 | 35 | 65 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 65 | 23 | 34 | 57 | 36 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2017–18 | Hamilton Bulldogs | OHL | 62 | 20 | 44 | 64 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 21 | ||
| 2018–19 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 63 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 20 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 51 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 31 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Iowa Wild | AHL | 23 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 45 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 18 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 22 | ||
| 2022–23 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 65 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 68 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 21 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | HC Sochi | KHL | 30 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game | 2016 | |