The Ottawa Senators have inked center Colin White to an amateur contract agreement (ATO) for the remainder of the season, reports Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (Twitter link). He will immediately report to their AHL affiliate in Binghamton.
White was the first round pick (21st overall) of the Sens back in 2015 and just finished his second season at the collegiate level with Boston College. In 35 games this season, he had 16 goals and 17 assists to sit third in team scoring. He also played a key role for the USA at the World Juniors, scoring seven goals in as many games to help lead them to the gold medal.
The Senators had been hoping White would turn pro for a while now but part of the holdup stemmed from discussion over whether or not he would burn the first year of his entry level contract this season or have the deal start in 2017-18. Although there’s an agreement in place to join Binghamton now, it doesn’t preclude White signing and starting this season as this is only an AHL contract. As a result, those talks will likely continue but at the very least, this will allow White to begin his professional career as early as Wednesday when they host Syracuse, the AHL affiliate of Tampa Bay.