Cameron Butler

{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Cameron Butler

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|6|9}}

| birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lb = 210

| position = Right wing

| shoots = Right

| team = Columbus Blue Jackets

| league = NHL

| prospect_team = Cleveland Monsters

| prospect_league = AHL

| ntl_team =

| draft = Undrafted

| draft_year =

| draft_team =

| career_start = 2022

| career_end =

}}

Cameron Butler (born June 9, 2002) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Butler played for the Ottawa Jr. 67s under-14 team from 2014–15 to 2015–16, recording 40 points in 30 games. He attended St. Andrew's College, Aurora, where he played for the hockey team, scoring four points in 2016–17 and one point in 2017–18. He also was a member of the York Simcoe Express U16 team in 2016–17, totaling 21 goals and 21 assists, and in 2017–18, scoring 57 points on 27 goals and 30 assists.{{Cite web |title=Cameron Butler |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/342193/cameron-butler |website=EliteProspects.com}}

Butler was selected in the second round – 27th overall – by the Peterborough Petes in the 2018 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection.{{Cite web|url=https://chl.ca/ohl-petes/cameron-butler-selected-to-represent-canada-at-world-u-17-hockey-challenge/|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|title=Cameron Butler Selected to Represent Canada at World U-17 Hockey Challenge|date=October 16, 2018}} In his first year with the team, he suited up for 66 games and scored 18 goals along with eight assists, for 26 total points.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/sports/niagara-region/icedogs-appoint-cameron-butler-captain-name-mason-howard-and-jake-uberti-as-alternates/article_727f1cfd-b021-5441-83d7-1317e4f2eb71.html|newspaper=St. Catharines Standard|title=IceDogs appoint Cameron Butler captain, name Mason Howard and Jake Uberti as alternates |date=October 6, 2021|author=Franke, Bernd}} Butler played 39 games with the Petes in the 2019–20 season and scored 12 goals with nine assists before being traded to the Niagara IceDogs, with which he totaled six goals and seven assists while appearing in 27 games.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports/hockey/petes/former-peterborough-pete-cameron-butler-hoping-to-get-call-at-virtual-nhl-draft/article_d3167c7f-f855-5db8-9f10-c0d150c26a05.html|newspaper=The Peterborough Examiner|title=Former Peterborough Pete Cameron Butler hoping to get call at virtual NHL draft |author=Franke, Bernd|date=October 6, 2020}}

Butler was eligible for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but went unselected.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/blue-jackets-cameron-butler-signs-entry-level-contract/|work=CBS Sports|agency=RotoWire|date=2023|title=Blue Jackets' Cameron Butler: Signs entry-level contract}} No games were played in the 2020–21 OHL season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He became team captain of the IceDogs in 2021–22 and had 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 24 games before being traded in January 2022 to the Oshawa Generals.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports/hockey/petes/former-peterborough-pete-cameron-butler-traded-to-oshawa-generals/article_76244e3a-9a33-5657-8e24-bd5dbb24a791.html|newspaper=The Peterborough Examiner|title=Former Peterborough Pete Cameron Butler traded to Oshawa Generals |date=January 3, 2022}} He finished out the season with them and had five goals and 13 assists in 40 games. Butler returned to the Generals for the 2022–23 season and recorded 55 points (27 goals, 28 assists) in 63 games.{{Cite web|url=https://www.durhamregion.com/sports/hockey/ohl/oshawa-generals-let-the-butler-do-it-with-gordie-howe-hat-trick-in-critical-win/article_aee1d9de-7a5b-5d0c-9930-bc99a569d337.html|website=DurhamRegion.com|title=Oshawa Generals let the Butler do it with 'Gordie Howe hat-trick' in critical win over Sudbury Wolves |date=February 13, 2023}}

Butler signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) near the end of the 2022–23 AHL season with the Cleveland Monsters.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clevelandmonsters.com/news/detail/monsters-announce-roster-moves-1|publisher=Cleveland Monsters|title=Monsters announce roster moves|date=April 11, 2023}} He appeared in three games that season for the team. On March 16, 2023, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).{{Cite web|url=https://myfox28columbus.com/sports/columbus-blue-jackets/columbus-blue-jackets-sign-cameron-butler-to-a-3-year-contract-entry-level-national-hockey-league-general-manager-alternate-governor-jarmo-kekalainen-ontario|publisher=WSYX|title=Columbus Blue Jackets sign Cameron Butler to 3-year contract |author=Asta, Diana|date=March 16, 2023}} He played most of the 2023–24 season with the Monsters.

On March 30, 2024, Butler was added to the Blue Jackets' roster as an emergency recall.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/blue-jackets-add-cameron-butler-on-emergency-recall|publisher=National Hockey League|title=Blue Jackets add Cameron Butler on emergency recall |date=March 30, 2024}} The team's captain, Boone Jenner, had informed them that he was ill shortly before the game and the Blue Jackets had no extra players, "[b]ut there was a forward [Butler] ... two hours up the road." Butler was contacted and told to come as soon as possible. According to NHL.com, he "had the good fortune not to get pulled over as he raced" to the stadium in time for the game, arriving only a few minutes before it started. He ultimately played one shift – 54 seconds – in his NHL debut, a 4–3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.{{Cite web |author=Svoboda, Jeff |date=March 31, 2024 |title=Butler made the most of his unique NHL debut |url=https://www.nhl.com/bluejackets/news/cameron-butler-nhl-debut-blue-jackets |publisher=National Hockey League}} He returned to the Monsters after the game.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clevelandmonsters.com/news/detail/blue-jackets-assign-forward-cameron-butler-to-monsters|publisher=Cleveland Monsters|title=Blue Jackets assign forward Cameron Butler to Monsters|date=March 31, 2024}}

International play

Butler played for Team Canada White at the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports/peterborough-petes-rookie-forward-cameron-butler-away-at-world-u17-hockey-challenge/article_eba5951e-4b91-57db-8744-f272636108af.html|newspaper=The Peterborough Examiner|title=Peterborough Petes rookie forward Cameron Butler away at World U17 Hockey Challenge |date=November 1, 2018|author=Davis, Mike|url-access=subscription}} He appeared in five games, recording no statistics.

Personal life

Butler was born on June 9, 2002, in Ottawa, Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/b/butleca01.html|website=Hockey-Reference.com|title=Cameron Butler Stats}}

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! colspan="5"|Regular season

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! colspan="5"|Playoffs

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2016–17

|St. Andrew's College

|CAHS

| 6

1230

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2017–18

|St. Andrew's College

|CAHS

| 2

0112

| —

2018–19

|Peterborough Petes

|OHL

| 64

1882655

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2019–20

|Peterborough Petes

|OHL

| 39

1271924

| —

2019–20

|Niagara IceDogs

|OHL

| 27

671321

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2021–22

|Niagara IceDogs

|OHL

| 24

6172322

| —

2021–22

|Oshawa Generals

|OHL

| 40

5131856

| 4

11211
bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2022–23

|Oshawa Generals

|OHL

| 63

272855119

| 5

21315
2022–23

|Cleveland Monsters

|AHL

| 3

0000

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2023–24

|Cleveland Monsters

|AHL

| 51

26871

| —

2023–24

|Columbus Blue Jackets

|NHL

| 1

0000

| —

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

|2024–25

|Cleveland Monsters

|AHL

| 37

21374

| —

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" | NHL totals

! 1 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0

! — !! — !! — !! — !! —

=International=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Year

! Team

! Event

! Result

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM

2018

| Canada White

| U17

| 6th

| 5

0006
bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="4" |Junior totals

! 5 !! 0 !! 0 !! 0 !! 6

References

{{Reflist}}