IIHF Worlds providing plenty of experience for White

It's been an eventful past 12+ months for Colin White. Since making his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings on April 3rd, 2017, he's played in an NHL playoff game, missed the start of this season with a broken wrist, scored his first NHL goal and spent time on the Sens' top forward line for chunks of the year.

With Ottawa not qualifying for the 2018 NHL playoffs, White received a call to continue playing as a member of Team USA at the 2018 World Championship in Denmark which he happily accepted.
"Any time you get to represent your country it's always a huge honour especially at this level," said White. "You're playing alongside some of the best players in the league so it's pretty exciting.
Just like with the Senators this season, White has had to opportunity to play up and down the line-up during the World Championship, skating on Team USA's top line for portions of the games.
"I've been fortunate to get the chance to play with top players this year," White said. "During the regular season, I spent time on lines with guys like Matt Duchene and Mark Stone in Ottawa and here with Team USA. You learn so much from playing with great players, just getting to know them and seeing how they think the game has taught me so much."
As White continues to garner experience playing with some of the league's most talented players on the ice, he has also had to get acclimated to the professional schedule off of it. He's appeared in 75 games this year (split between Ottawa, Belleville and Team USA) which is the most he's played in since his draft year.
"Towards the middle of this season it was a bit of a grind mentally," he said. "You start to figure stuff out though and develop a routine that works for you. It's a bit different at the World Championship since the games are at weird times so it's really about planning which is something I've gotten better at."
During the course of this tournament in Denmark, White enjoyed some of the downtime that comes with a nearly 3 week event.
"There's a lot more free time so you have a chance to explore the city a little more during the day," said White. "The off days have been a lot of fun since you've actually got an opportunity to build some connections with the other guys."
White mentioned fishing and biking as a few of the cooler excursions he's had with his teammates during their time in Denmark so far and whatever they're doing is clearly working as Team USA has racked up a record of 6-1-0 in the preliminary round.

With 3 points through 7 games, White's on-ice experience at the tournament could set the young forward up for success next season with the Senators. With plans to do the bulk of his training this summer in Ottawa so he can work closely with the team's strength and conditioning coaches, he's hoping his time in Denmark could lead into a big offseason for the 21-year-old as he looks to earn a permanent spot on the Sens' roster.
"This tournament has definitely given me a confidence boost," shared White. "Spending time on the top line here is a great way to kick off my offseason, hopefully I can pick up some good habits from the guys here and use them when my summer training gets underway."
White and Team USA are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals of the 2018 IIHF World Championship. You can find the
full tournament schedule here
.