White Stepping Up for Devils | BLOG

With injuries to a various players throughout the year, the Devils have looked to the next man up. One player who has stepped up on defense is Colton White.
White has played consistently for the Devils starting on Jan. 8th, in a road game against the Blue Jackets. In that first game, the defenseman only logged six minutes of playing time. After that, his minutes went up to the double-digits, and White has an average 12:12 time on ice during his latest call-up.
"We've had a couple guys who have kind of been in a battle for that spot while Dougie's been out, and he's kind of graduated to that spot and earned his ice time and played well within the minutes we gave him," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said about White on Sunday. "I think almost every time he's on the ice he's the type of guy that's been able to try to make a difference."

Coach Ruff has seen improvements in White's offensive play while the young defenseman continues to play well defensively.
"He's played well for us. I think first and foremost you have to play well away from the puck, and he's played well defensively. He's got involved on the offensive side - he's helped keep pucks alive, he's been active inside the offensive zone. He's done what we've asked him," Ruff said. "I see a guy that obviously that trusts in the way he plays, feels like he can defend … His first pass has been good which is important and we've used him in almost every situation."
Fellow blueliner Damon Severson has seen White and his growth over the last few years and praised the young defenseman for many things including his consistency.
"He's progressed as a player and as a person, he's come a long way from when I first met him in the organization," Severson said following Monday's practice. "I have a lot of confidence in White, he keeps his game real simple and you know what you're going to get every night. He plays hard, he does the right things, and he's always looking to get better and willing to step into positions to help the team."