© Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS — William Whitelaw’s path to the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets no longer runs through the University of Wisconsin.

Selected in the third round (No. 66) of the 2023 NHL Draft, his pathway has taken a detour to a location familiar to many Blue Jackets after the 19-year-old center prospect transferred for his sophomore season, hoping to eventually become another member of the Michigan-Columbus pipeline.

“All the guys at Wisconsin were unbelievable,” Whitelaw said at Blue Jackets development camp last month. “Great people. Teammates were unbelievable.

“But I just think on the hockey side, it wasn’t really what I wanted or what I needed to go to the NHL, so ultimately I had to make that decision. And it was a really hard decision, but I think it was the right one for me.”

Columbus director of player development Rick Nash said the organization did not try to sway Whitelaw either way.

“Making decisions on where he should play, that doesn’t matter to us because we’re going to support him no matter where he goes,” Nash said. “That’s kind of up to his camp on the final decision, but I was a sounding board for him just to try to navigate him through his on-ice play.

“Getting to know William over the last year, he’s a real passionate kid that loves hockey and plays a high-octane game.”

Whitelaw had 17 points (10 goals, seven assists) in 37 games at Wisconsin last season, but the chance to play at a perennial NCAA power, plus Michigan coach Brandon Naurato’s reputation for developing players for the NHL, proved to be deciding factors.

“I like how Nauroto runs his team,” Whitelaw said. “He teaches guys how to be better offensively, but also play the other side of the puck too.

“When you go to Michigan, you’re going for national championship every year, and that’s one thing that I like.”

It also doesn’t hurt that since the 2021-22 season, four former Michigan players — centers Kent Johnson, Gavin Brindley and Adam Fantilli, and defenseman Nick Blankenburg — each debuted for the Blue Jackets. Blankenburg signed with the Nashville Predators on July 1, but the others remain alongside veteran ex-Michigan defensemen Jack Johnson and Zach Werenski in Columbus.

Whitelaw said he knows what he needs to work on to follow them.

“My defensive side of the puck,” he said. “I think offensively I’m pretty gifted, but I want to continue to get better defensively if I want to play in the NHL.”

There will be doubters because of his size (5-foot-9, 174 pounds), but Whitelaw cites Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand (5-9, 176), Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield (5-8, 175) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (5-10, 178) as inspirations.

“I hear it all the time,” Whitelaw said. “Growing up, 14 years old, I was 5-foot-1 and I’ve heard them say, ‘Oh, he’s too small,’ and every year I just keeping going. It doesn’t bother me.”