William Mitchell (born April 23, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is known primarily as a physical defensive defenceman. Mitchell played Junior A in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) before joining the college ranks with the Clarkson Knights of ECAC Hockey in 1997. He won an ECAC championship with Clarkson in 1999, while also earning playoff MVP and ECAC First Team All-Star honours.
Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, he played two seasons with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL) while earning limited playing time with the Devils over two seasons. In 2001, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild where he played four seasons before a brief stint with the Dallas Stars. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 off-season and was named the team's top defenceman twice, in 2008 and 2009. After four seasons in Vancouver, Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Kings in August 2010. While with Los Angeles, Mitchell won two Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014) before signing with the Florida Panthers in the 2014 off-season.
Internationally, he has represented Team Canada once at the 2004 World Championships, capturing a gold medal.
Early life
Mitchell was born on April 23, 1977, to Reid and Nadija Mitchell. He has a sister named Chantal. His father is a retired heavy-duty mechanic with Western Forest Products, while his mother is a Croatian-born immigrant who retired as a terminal service agent for B.C. Ferries. Mitchell's grandfather, Les Mitchell, played amateur senior hockey and once earned a tryout with the New York Rangers during the Original Six-era. His grandfather, Les, scored the championship-winning goal for the Nanaimo Clippers in 1945. Les Mitchell was reportedly the last person to skate on the ice at the Civic Arena in Nanaimo before it was torn down.
Mitchell was born and raised in Port McNeill, British Columbia, a small logging town on Vancouver Island. He grew up working on the docks in his hometown unloading fish and cleaning equipment. He first began skating at the age of four and took figure skating. Growing up as a Vancouver Canucks fan, his father would take him across to the mainland to see games at the Pacific Coliseum. He played minor hockey as a winger with the North Island Eagles and won back-to-back double-A provincial titles in pee wee and bantam with the club. At the age of 15, he left home after being recruited to play for Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, a high school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. It was there that he switched from wing to defence. He played with the Notre Dame Hounds' midget team of the Saskatchewan Midget Hockey League (SMHL) and recorded 15 points over 31 games in 1993–94. From there, he earned an athletic scholarship with Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
Playing career
Junior and college hockey (1994–99) As a junior hockey player, Mitchell began in the BCHL with the Kelowna Spartans in 1994–95, recording 11 points over 42 games. After one season with Kelowna, he joined the Melfort Mustangs of the SJHL. Following his first season with Melfort in 1995–96, he was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the eighth round, 199th overall, in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. He returned to Melfort for a second season and recorded 56 points in 64 games to earn the Top Defenceman Award and SJHL First All-Star Team honours.
Beginning in 1997–98, Mitchell began two seasons of college hockey with Clarkson University Golden Knights of the ECAC. In his freshman year, he recorded 26 points over 34 games, fourth among league defencemen, and was named co-Rookie of the Year with Clarkson teammate Erik Cole. He also earned ECAC All-Rookie and ECAC Second All-Star honours. Clarkson advanced to the ECAC Tournament Final against Princeton University, but lost 5–4 in double overtime. The following season, Mitchell led all Golden Knights defencemen in scoring with 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists) and a +13 rating in 34 games. He finished the season with a league player of the week recognition on March 1, 1999. As Clarkson met Princeton in the 1999 ECAC Semi-final, Mitchell scored the game winning goal with a slap shot from centre ice with three seconds remaining in regulation. Clarkson went on to defeat St. Lawrence University 3–2 in the final to capture the ECAC championship. Mitchell earned tournament MVP honours and was also named to the ECAC First All-Star Team and NCAA East Second All-American Team.