A portrait of Will Butcher from EHC Red Bull München

Wednesday, 04. December 2024 | A portrait of Will Butcher from EHC Red Bull München

“Expectations have already been exceeded": A portrait of title-hungry Will Butcher What makes our new number 4 tick // PORTRAITWill Butcher once hit the ground running in the National Hockey League (NHL). The defenseman scored better than many forwards. Now, however, the 29-year-old is only interested in winning titles. And our new signing wants to win them with the Red Bulls.

At the end of November, the American landed in Munich with his wife Tayler and their sons Bram (three years old) and Augey (two years old). It was the start of a new chapter in their lives. “We really like it. The boys are already learning German and are really proud when they bring new words home with them. That's pretty cool.” Butcher is a family man. His priorities in terms of leisure activities have shifted since his boys were born.

Family man Butcher

“I spend a lot of time with my family. I have the feeling that everyone in Munich is out and about on their bikes. We do that too.” Cycling is one of his hobbies. He also enjoys fishing and hunting. And he plays golf - like many of his new teammates. Butcher can switch off in the evening by watching TV. “I watch a lot of movies. Sometimes too many, my wife thinks,” Butcher says with a laugh, adding: ”I don't really care what genre it is.”

Interview with newcomer Will Butcher

// INTERVIEW

Hockey nerd Butcher wants to stay up to date

And he follows the hockey action. “I'm a hockey nerd and I watch a lot of games and recaps from all over the world. Especially from my former teams or former teammates.” A lot comes together over the course of a career. Butcher started his career in Wisconsin, one of the coldest states in the USA. He grew up in a small town between Minneapolis and Chicago. There are plenty of opportunities to play ice hockey there, especially in winter.

Being like Mike Modano

“We laced up our skates straight after school and played outside until my parents called me in,” says Butcher, looking back on his youth. His father was one of his first coaches, and his brother Mikey, who is three years younger, also played. But Will had the steepest sporting career in the Butcher family. When his great talent emerged, our new arrival had to choose between ice hockey and baseball, which also suited the American. “When I was twelve or 13, I concentrated more on ice hockey”. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his role model Mike Modano, who played for his favorite team at the time - the Dallas Stars.

First “school”, then NHL

From then on, the goal was clear: the NHL. Butcher was offered a place in the USA's development program early on and played in several junior world championships for his country. In 2013, he was drafted 123rd overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL draft, in which the world's greatest ice hockey talents are brought up to the pros by the top teams every year. After being selected early at the age of 18, the defenseman first played a few seasons in college. “For me, the four years at the University of Denver were perfect. It helped me mature as a player and as a person.” Since then, he has also completed his Bachelor's degree in Business. In 2017, he finally moved to the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, fulfilling a lifelong dream and hitting the ground running.

“A surreal feeling”

“My NHL debut was very special. I shared that moment with my parents and my wife, who was still my girlfriend at the time. You've been working towards it for so long. When it happened, it was a surreal feeling,” Butcher recalls. In his first main round, he played 81 games in which he scored an outstanding 44 points. In the playoffs, he added four more points in five games. As a result, he was named to the Rookie All-Star team and won the bronze medal with the USA at the World Championships after that season.

On a par with the top stars Makar and Eichel

Many unforgettable moments come from this season - but not all of them: “In my last year of college, we became champions and won many awards. I won the Hobey Baker Award as player of the year.” This puts him on a list with absolute NHL top stars, such as his predecessor Jack Eichel, who won the Stanley Cup with the Las Vegas Knights in 2023. Two years after Butcher, a certain Cale Makar, who is currently regarded by many experts as the best defender in the world, also won the award.

“Crazy experience” and a call from Munich

Butcher played four years in the NHL for the Devils and the Buffalo Sabres. In 280 games, he scored 118 points and had a strong 0.42 goals per game. After two years in the American Hockey League, he moved to the multinational KHL last summer to the Kazakh club Barys Astana. A short and, in retrospect, probably the “craziest” experience of his career. The reason: after just 15 games, the contracts of all contingent players were terminated. Butcher moved back to the USA - but only for about a month. Then the phone rang. “Christian Winkler (Managing Director Sports Red Bull Ice Hockey) was calling. I also spoke to coach Max Kaltenhauser. And then everything happened pretty quickly.” Butcher signed with the Red Bulls and embarked on his next European adventure.

Everyday problems, friendly helpers and big goals

At the start, he was particularly pleased with the support of his new teammates. “Chris DeSousa helped me set up an account, for example. There are a few things you have to do that you don't know exactly how to do in a new country,” says Butcher. He has now arrived and has played his first games. He sees a lot of potential in the team and wants to be successful with the Red Bulls: “Individual statistics don't mean much to me anymore. It used to be different. Now it's all about winning titles. Preferably several,” says Butcher. Preferably with the Red Bulls in his new adopted home of Munich: “We had high hopes here. So far, expectations have even been exceeded. I hope that I can stay here for a long time. Maybe even until the end of my career.”