William Bitten has the potential to be a top six centre in the NHL. He will need to continue to work on his game, and having a full season without any drama or coaching issues can only help his development going forward. He sometimes needs to town down the aggressiveness at times as it can lead to some bad penalties. Bitten plays a game that is similar to Brad Marchand, but without the extra-curriculars (chirping) that make Marchand such a hated player.
Bitten’s father is on record saying that there is “no way†his son will continue to play for a team owned by Nilsen, but its unclear if that stance has changed given the new sanctions put forward by the OHL. Whoever drafts him could also look to orchestrate their new prospect’s departure from the Firebirds, just as his NHL drafted teammates Alex Ndeljkovic and Josh Wesley did this year. This will be an issue to address for whoever takes Bitten in the NHL draft. No team would want a prospect being forced to develop in a potentially toxic environment.