Willie Mitchell was born April 23, 1977 in Port McNeil, B.C. The eighth round, 199th overall selection of the New Jersey Devils in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Mitchell is a graduate of Melfort of the SJHL.
A sound defenseman with some offensive upside, Mitchell enrolled at Clarkson University in the fall of 1997 and went on to play two seasons with the Goldend Knights before making his professional debut following his sophomore year. In his brief collegiate career, Mitchell recieved numerous honours including, ECAC Second All-Star Team (1998), Co-Winner ECAC Rookie of the Year (1998), ECAC First All-Star Team (1999) and NCAA East Second All-American Team (1999).
Following two impressive seasons at Clarkson, Mitchell joined the AHL's Albany River Rats and spent the better part of the next two seasons in the AHL while seeing limited action with the parent club in New Jersey. After parts of three seasons with the Devils organization, the Port McNeil, B.C. native was acquired by the Minnesota Wild in the latter stages of the 2000-01 season.
In his first full season with the Wild in 2001-02, Mitchell registered 13 points (3-10-13) in 68 games while struggling with a plus/minus of -16. In 2002-03, Mitchell upped his point total to 14 (2-12-14) and bettered his plus/minus to a +13 while helping the Wild reach the Western Conference Finals. Following a successfull season in 2002-03, the Wild struggled in 2003-04 and missed the playoffs. Despite having his NHL season come to a premature close, Mitchell was fortunate enough to be named to Canada's gold medal World Championship team.
Following a lock-out year in 2004-05, Mitchell returned to the Wild for his fourth season with the club, where he continued to be a steady competitor on the team's blueline, however, with the club struggling somewhat, the former Clarkson star was dealt to the Dallas Stars at the trading deadline.
Following a short stint with the Stars the Port Mcneill, British Columbia native signed a four-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
After four years in Vancouver, where he established himself as a rugged and reliable NHL defender, Mitchell signed with the Los Angeles Kings as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2010.
In 2011-12, Mitchell was the oldest member of the Los Angeles Kings club that stormed through the Western Conference playoffs and defeated the New Jersey Devils to capture the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
With the Los Angeles Kings tight against the salary cap, they decided to let Mitchell go on the free agent market where he was signed by the Florida Panthers to a two year contract on July 1, 2014.
Prior to the 2014-15 season, Mitchell was named the franchise's eighth captain in team history.
