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William Bitten

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Will Bitten
William Bitten Thunderbirds.jpg
Born (1998-07-10) July 10, 1998 (age 26)
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
Spartak Moscow
St. Louis Blues
NHL draft 70th overall, 2016
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2018–present

William Bitten (born July 10, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with HC Spartak Moscow 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.

Playing career

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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

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Regular season and playoffs

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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
NHL totals 4 0 1 1 0

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada Red U17 6th 5 2 3 5 0
2015 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 1 1 2 0
2016 Canada U18 4th 7 3 5 8 2
Junior totals 16 6 9 15 2

Awards and honours

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Award Year
OHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2016

References

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  1. ^ "Canadiens agree to terms with Pezzetta, Bitten". Montreal Canadiens. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  2. ^ "Wild acquires forward Will Bitten". Minnesota Wild. October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Bitten signs one-year, two-way contract". Minnesota Wild. August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "Blues acquire Bitten from Minnesota". St. Louis Blues. December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Blues sign F Will Bitten to two-year contract extension". Springfield Thunderbirds. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "Blues recall Will Bitten from Springfield". St. Louis Blues. December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  7. ^ "Kapanen's hat-trick powers Penguins to victory over the Blues". ESPN. December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  8. ^ "Blues hold off Islanders rally, win 7-4". ESPN. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "Spartak new signing is William Bitten" (in Russian). HC Spartak Moscow. August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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