William Mitchell (born April 23, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He is known primarily as a physical defensive defenceman. Mitchell played Junior A in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) before joining the college ranks with the Clarkson Knights of ECAC Hockey in 1997. He won an ECAC championship with Clarkson in 1999, while also earning playoff MVP and ECAC First Team All-Star honours. Selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, he played two seasons with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL) while earning limited playing time with the Devils over two seasons. In 2001, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild where he played four seasons before a brief stint with the Dallas Stars. He signed with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2006 off-season and was named the team's top defenceman twice, in 2008 and 2009. After four seasons in Vancouver, Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Kings in August 2010. While with Los Angeles, Mitchell won two Stanley Cups (2012 and 2014) before signing with the Florida Panthers in the 2014 off-season. Internationally, he has represented Team Canada once at the 2004 World Championships, capturing a gold medal. Early life Mitchell was born on April 23, 1977, to Reid and Nadija Mitchell. He has a sister named Chantal. His father is a retired heavy-duty mechanic with Western Forest Products, while his mother is a Croatian-born immigrant who retired as a terminal service agent for B.C. Ferries. Mitchell's grandfather, Les Mitchell, played amateur senior hockey and once earned a tryout with the New York Rangers during the Original Six-era. His grandfather, Les, scored the championship-winning goal for the Nanaimo Clippers in 1945. Les Mitchell was reportedly the last person to skate on the ice at the Civic Arena in Nanaimo before it was torn down. Mitchell was born and raised in Port McNeill, British Columbia, a small logging town on Vancouver Island. He grew up working on the docks in his hometown unloading fish and cleaning equipment. He first began skating at the age of four and took figure skating. Growing up as a Vancouver Canucks fan, his father would take him across to the mainland to see games at the Pacific Coliseum. He played minor hockey as a winger with the North Island Eagles and won back-to-back double-A provincial