Plymouth Whalers’ William Bitten leans on former Olympian parents: Making The Jump

Moving up to a higher echelon of hockey hardly fazes William Bitten, thanks in part to the experience that's been passed down to the Plymouth Whalers top pick.

The centre's parents, Mike Bitten and Doris Piché, each represented in Canada at the Summer Olympics in badminton long before raising a family with two ambitious hockey players, William and his 14-year-old brother Samuel. That's given William Bitten, who set a league scoring record last winter while playing for the Ottawa 67's minor midgets, the comfort of knowing he has support to fall back on when the strain of elite hockey seems too stressful.

"They know how it is and they know what the pressure is like at the highest level," says Bitten, who Plymouth chose No. 7 overall in the OHL priority selection draft. "They always give my brother and I us good feedback, good tips on what to do in games. If I'm down or if there's a problem, they always have an idea of what to do. If they weren't there for my brother and I, I don't know where we would be.

"They always say train really hard and the rest will come later."

The Gloucester, Ont., native, who just turned 16 in July, was listed at 5-foot-9 and 146 pounds at this time of his selection. However, the speedy Bitten was the leader of a 67's midget team that broke new ground for an Ottawa-area squad, reaching the semifinal in the prestigious OHL Cup tournament and regularly punching its weight against teams from more populous Toronto. Suffice to say, Bitten also allayed concerns about his size.

"I'm a skilled centreman who likes to get in on the offence," he says. "I'm not afraid to go in the corners and get that loose puck. Makes plays. I have good vision and just try to get the team on the board.

"I really want to play well in Plymouth and show them what I have," Bitten adds. "I want to try to win that rookie of the year award next year. Try to have a good year and set goals for myself."

As a Franco-Ontarian, Bitten also got to help develop group chemistry during Hockey Canada's recent under-17 camp. One of the objectives of bringing the top 16-year-olds from coast to coast to a week-long camp is to break down some long-standing regional barriers. Bitten, who is now taking his courses at École secondaire catholique Franco-Cité online, jumped in as an unofficial translator.

"In Calgary we had people who could only speak French and we had English guys on our team and I'd have to translate, I'd have to help them out," he says. "It was really fun. We got closer as a team in Calgary."

1. You have to be yourself, but who is someone at the next level who plays a style similar to yours?

"A lot of people look at me and saw I play a lot like [Ottawa 67's centre and 2014 OHL rookie of the year] Travis Konecny. He doesn't play in the NHL but he's my idol, which is funny since I'll probably play against him next year. In the NHL, a lot of people say I have vision like [Sidney] Crosby. I have the drive to the net and I try to play like him. Each time he's on TV, I look out for him and see what he does best."

2. What is the biggest obstacle you had to overcome on your way through minor hockey?

"I think it was my size, a bit. A lot of people were telling me I was maybe a bit small or 'you can't do this' or 'you won't get there.' But I always thought positively and always thought I can do. That's what has got me here, so far."

3. Apart from your parents, who is one person you credit for your success so far?

"My brother? Does that count? My brother, Samuel, has always been there for me. He's real excited about what I've done and what I've been through. He'd really like to be there one day. He's been the closest guy for me.

" ... John Robillard and Joe Clark, my coaches I had this year [with the 67's minor midgets], they've really helped. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would have had as good a year. They coached me in minor bantam and then didn't get the job for major bantam before coming back this year. Best coaches I've had so far. Without them, this probably wouldn't have happened. They were always there for the guys on our team. Just how they coached was really amazing. They had lots of plays going on and the guys really liked them. They were almost like brothers to us as much as coaches."

4. What other sports were you in as a child and how did they help with developing your skills?

"I played soccer and badminton a lot when I was a kid. Badminton really helped a lot — with my footwork on the ice and my hand-eye coordination. I really liked that. People say playing a lot of different sports helps with your main sport and that's true. Soccer was a lot of fun. It helped with my speed.

"A lot of people say badminton's not that hard, but when you play a real game, it's tough."

5. Who is one player you cannot wait to face in the OHL?

"Probably Konecny, he's my favourite player. Or [top 2015 NHL draft prospect] Connor McDavid. They're really good and I'm really excited to play against them. People will say how lucky we are to see them play, but I'll probably play against them. That's pretty incredible to think about."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.