White joined the hockey team at Grand Rapids High School when he began his education at the school. In his first season, he finished with seven points in 26 games. At the end of the season, White was drafted in the tenth round, 195th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft although he declined to join the team, opting rather to continue with Grand Rapids. The next season, White greatly improved his statistics, finishing the season with 33 points in 26 games. In the offseason, he was drafted in the second round, 13th overall by the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the 2005 Futures Draft, although opted once again to continue with Grand Rapids.