Tom Wilson (ice hockey)
Thomas Wilson is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. He was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Capitals at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Wilson won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in 2018.
Wilson is known for his physical style of play and fighting ability, and is considered a “contemporary enforcer,” who can both fight and play an offensive game.
Early life
Wilson grew up in Toronto, Ontario, with parents Keven and Neville and brothers Peter and James.Wilson attended Greenwood College School and later Plymouth High School while playing for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. His younger brother James also attended Greenwood and was drafted by the Whalers in the 2010 OHL Draft.
Playing career
Amateur
Wilson won the silver medal with Team Ontario at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, and was also selected to play in the 2012 CHL Top Prospects Game. Wilson was a member of the Canada under-18 team that won gold medal at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Prior to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, he was rated as a top prospect who was expected to be a first-round selection in the Draft. The 6'4", 210-pound Wilson was eventually picked 16th overall by the Washington Capitals, and excelled in an expanded offensive role with the Plymouth Whalers, his OHL club; his third-year stats more than doubled his previous year's output.Professional
On May 10, 2013, Wilson made his NHL debut when he suited up with the Capitals for Game 5 of their 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs series against the New York Rangers. During that game, he had one memorable shift during which he lost a skate blade after a check on the boards, and was forced to struggle back to the bench on one skate while play carried on.On October 3, 2013, during the 2013–14 season, Wilson participated in his first career NHL fight, taking on Lance Bouma of the Calgary Flames. He scored his first career goal just over one month later, on November 5 against Evgeni Nabokov of the New York Islanders.
Wilson scored his first career playoff goal in overtime of Game 1 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, giving the Capitals the 4–3 win. During Game 4 of the same series, Wilson scored two goals and saved a goal in the same game, diving across the crease to help his goalie Braden Holtby keep the puck out of the net, helping the Capitals tie the series at two games each. The Capitals would eventually lose in seven games in the next round against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wilson had a career year during the 2017–18 season, putting up career numbers in goals, assists and points. On December 6, 2017, he scored four points in one game for the first time in his NHL career. He scored two goals and two assists to help the Capitals defeat the Chicago Blackhawks. He frequently played on the Capitals' top line with Alexander Ovechkin, complementing Ovechkin's goal-scoring and Nicklas Backstrom's playmaking with his physicality. Wilson reached double digits in goals for the first time in his NHL career during a game against the Blackhawks, to help push the Capitals to the 2018 playoffs. In the playoffs, Wilson was investigated three times by the NHL Department of Player Safety for hits to the heads of opponents that resulted in injury. Wilson's successful season ended with the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
On July 27, 2018 the Capitals re-signed Wilson to a six-year, $31.02 million contract extension worth $5.17 million annually. Making his season debut on November 13, 2018, against the Minnesota Wild after serving 16 games of a 20-game suspension, Wilson scored a goal — pulling a goaltender interference penalty on the play — then got into a fight with Marcus Foligno after a faceoff. After a 5–2 win that, teammate André Burakovsky said of Wilson, "He's a key player for our team. Brings so much energy both on the ice and off the ice, so a huge lift for the team to get him back."
On November 30, 2018, in Wilson's ninth game of the season, he scored a goal and was ejected from the game for a hit on Brett Seney in a 6–3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The NHL Department of Player Safety held no hearing on the play and did not punish Wilson. Wilson had seven goals in the nine games back after his early-season suspension, and improved his goal-scoring streak to five games with his goal against the Devils. At the conclusion of the 2018–19 season, Wilson would experience a career year for himself, scoring 22 goals beating his previous best of 14 from the year prior. He would also be one of the Capitals' seven 20 goal scorers, helping them to clinch the division. He attributed much of this improved play to how he changed his style to avoid additional suspensions and focused more on his skills-based game.
Suspensions
On September 22, 2017, in a pre-season game against St. Louis Blues, Wilson caught forward Robert Thomas with a late hit, resulting in a two pre-season game ban.The NHL suspended Wilson for the first four games of the regular season for boarding St. Louis rookie forward Sammy Blais during each team's 2017 pre-season finale.
On May 2, 2018, Wilson was suspended from three playoff games due to an illegal check to the head of the Pittsburgh Penguins' Zach Aston-Reese. Aston-Reese was diagnosed with a concussion and a broken jaw.
On October 3, 2018, Wilson was suspended from 20 regular season games as a result of an illegal head hit on Oskar Sundqvist of the St. Louis Blues during a pre-season game. Wilson appealed his suspension at a hearing in New York on October 18, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld it. Following Bettman's decision, Wilson filed for a third appeal from a neutral arbitrator. On November 13, 2018, his 20-game suspension was reduced to 14, making him eligible to play that night against the Minnesota Wild. Wilson had served 16 games of his suspension. The ruling by Shyam Das allowed him to recoup $378,049 of the $1.26 million he forfeited as part of the suspension.