Where Are They Now – Scott White

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Scott White played 154 games in a Michigan Tech uniform from 1985-89. He also served as an assistant coach for the Huskies from 1994-99.

White, originally from Ormstown, Quebec, racked up 93 points on 20 goals and 73 assists from the blue line and ranks sixth all-time in defenseman scoring at Tech. He was a three-time WCHA All-Academic selection and received the Norbert Matovich Memorial Award as the team's outstanding freshman after the 1985-86 campaign.

White was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the sixth round of the 1986 draft and went on to play a five-year professional career. He helped Greensboro to the 1990 East Coast Hockey League title and was named ECHL Defenseman of the Year and First-Team All-ECHL honors for the 1991-92 season. He finished with 275 career points on 63 goals and 212 assists in 230 combined regular season and playoff games.

Following his playing career, White entered the coaching ranks with stints as an assistant at Tech, assistant with Greensboro and head coach of the ECHL's Colombia Inferno for four seasons.

In May 2013, White was named the director of hockey operations for the Dallas Stars of the NHL. He is also the general manager of the Texas Stars (AHL) and is the only general manager in the history of the club. He joined the Stars organization as the head of the hockey department for the Iowa Stars in 2005.

MichiganTechHuskies.com caught up with White before he headed over to Switzerland with Team Canada where he serves on the management group for Canada's National Men's Team for the 2014 Spengler Cup.

Q: What kinds of things do you do on a daily basis with your current job?

SW: It's watching a lot of hockey games. Keeping an eye on what's going on in the NHL, making sure our farm team is running smooth and making sure roster moves go smoothly for both teams.

Q: Do you deal more with coaches or players?

SW: Probably more with coaches on a day-to-day basis. We're around the players, but we're dealing more with the coaches and what the needs of the team are.

Q: Do you attend more AHL or NHL games?

SW: It's a variety. Last week, Tuesday I was in Fort Lauderdale, Wednesday Minneapolis, Thursday Pittsburgh, Friday was in Toronto watching the World Junior exhibition game, and then Saturday I watched the Texas Stars in Toronto and the Leafs that night.

It's probably 40 percent AHL games and 60 percent NHL games, but maybe 10 percent junior and college.

Q: Are you going to Switzerland with Team Canada for The Spengler Cup?

SW: I am. I'm leaving on Christmas morning. I'm really looking forward to it. Canada starts on the 26th so I'll be able to see all of our games. We'll be flying back on Jan. 1.

Our Canadian roster is made up of guys playing in Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. The Swiss league is the only league that shuts down for the tournament. We supplemented our roster with 6-8 American Hockey League players.

Q: What do you remember about the GLI?

SW: We didn't have a lot of success playing in the GLI when I played. As a freshman, I remember playing Michigan State. We lost 2-1, but the biggest thing I remember was that it was jam-packed. I mean right to the rafters. For a young 17-year-old Canadian from a small town, it was pretty impressive. I thought we played well. We were outmatched but our goaltending was good and we hung in there. That was probably my best memory of the GLI.

We were OK when I was coaching. It was always a big tournament and always circled on the calendar. As we progressed it became more and more important and that was a big step for the program. We started to teach our players the history of the GLI. I think Mel has done a great job in terms of the focus and how important the tournament is to the university and to recruiting, especially downstate.

Q: How do you think your game would translate to hockey today?

SW: I had 90 points in 150 games and that was not bad for a defenseman. I always enjoyed the offensive side of the game. I could always skate, so I think I could benefit playing today's style. Too bad it happened 10 years too late for me.

I like the way the game is today. It's so fast and you really have to be able to skate to be able to play.

Q: Do you still lace up the skates?

SW: I skate about twice a year. I've played in the GM game at the AHL All-Star Game for the last 10 years. I might skate one other time throughout the year, so not much.

Q: You went from one season playing in the ECHL to being an assistant coach. How was that transition?

SW: I signed with the Ottawa Senators my last two years of my playing career when they came back into the league. I was on their farm team in New Haven and had a great year. My second year I went to PEI in the American League. I got off to a rocky start and got out of there. I went to the IHL in Salt Lake and then just ended up getting back to the coast.

After the season, Darcy Way contacted me and said we need an assistant coach. Bob Mancini was the head coach at the time. He flew down to North Carolina where I was and offered me the job. I took it. I was done playing at 25, and it was a good decision. The game's been really good to me. I enjoyed my time at Tech.

Q: How was it coaching kids that weren't much younger than you?

SW: It was an adjustment. I had a good connection with our guys. After a couple seasons that gap grew but I always knew I was going to be young doing whatever I did after starting college at 17.

Q: How did you end up a Michigan Tech at 17?

SW: I grew up just south of Montreal and in Quebec you only have to go to the 11th grade in high school, so I was 17 and done. Academics were important in our family with my dad being a principal, so I was going to college regardless. It was either Michigan Tech or a Canadian college.

Randy McKay was a year ahead of me and we played together in Midgets where we won a championship.

Q: Do you miss coaching?

SW: I think coaching has made me a better manager. If I would've became a scout right away without the coaching experience, I probably wouldn't be as good at my job as I am now. The coaching part gave me that experience and knowledge of how players feel.

Q: What's your relationship with Mel Pearson?

SW: Mel and I go back quite a ways. He recruited me to Michigan Tech years ago. We talked a lot while he was in the process of going back to Tech.

He stuck to his plan with how he wants to play and the type of people he wants to recruit. It's taken a couple of years but he's done what he said he'd do. I couldn't be happier for him and I couldn't be happier for the university.

People in the hockey world are talking about Michigan Tech hockey now. I recently talked to a couple scouts who took the trek from downstate to the UP to watch Tech hockey, and that didn't happen before. Things are moving in the right direction. Now Mel has the tough task of keeping the players in school for four years.

I was up there for the Anchorage weekend when my old roommate Tom Bisset got inducted into the Hall of Fame. It was great to be back. Obviously the team is doing well. The campus is real vibrant and a lot of good things are happening.

Editor's Note: MichiganTechHuskies.com will be doing Where Are They Now features all season long. Check back often for all the latest news on the Michigan Tech hockey team.