NCAA free agent Will Butcher to make signing decision Sunday

In this March 25, 2017 photo, University of Denver's Will Butcher skates up the ice during the first period in the regional semifinals of the NCAA hockey tournament against Michigan Tech, in Cincinnati. (John Minchillo/AP)

We’re just a few days away from finding out where NCAA free agent Will Butcher will sign.

According to NHL.com, the Hobey Baker Award winner will make his NHL decision this Sunday with the help of his agent and family.

“He’s in Denver now at the pro camp taking place at the University of Denver, so he hasn’t been with his family to sit down and talk about things,” Butcher’s agent, Brian Bartlett, told the website on Thursday. “The hope is we’ll sit down once he gets home and make a decision by Sunday because NHL rookie tournaments and camps are coming up pretty quick.”

Butcher was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche back in 2013, but opted not to sign with the club following his college career in Denver. The 22-year-old defenceman officially became a free agent on Aug. 16.

According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, Butcher spoke with at least five teams last week while Bartlett indicated that four teams were on the player’s list—with Buffalo and Vegas in the mix.

“He wants to play for a team that really understands and believes in him as a player and what he can bring to an organization, so it’s weeding out the ones who just kind of want good players since every team needs good players,” Bartlett said. “The second part is which team has the opportunity and resources to give him the best chance to be a longtime professional player. We haven’t been demanding he make the team right out of [training] camp or have a roster spot. It’s about the process over the next couple of years.”

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.