Thomas Wilson (born March 29, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals selected him in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson began playing hockey at the age of two. He spent one year of minor ice hockey as a defenceman before switching to forward, where he could be more involved in the game. After spending time in th...
Thomas Wilson (born March 29, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals selected him in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson began playing hockey at the age of two. He spent one year of minor ice hockey as a defenceman before switching to forward, where he could be more involved in the game. After spending time in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) selected Wilson in the second round of the 2010 OHL Draft. The following year, he helped Canada to capture gold medals at both the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. His first two seasons of junior ice hockey were limited by injuries to his wrist, knee, and knuckle, but he attracted attention during the 2012 J. Ross Robertson Cup playoffs, scoring seven goals and six assists in 13 playoff games. After the Whalers' 2012–13 season concluded, Wilson joined the Capitals for the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, playing in two games against the New York Rangers.
Wilson made the Capitals' roster for the 2013–14 NHL season, serving on the fourth line as an enforcer. He missed the first part of his sophomore season with a broken fibula, but continued his aggressive, physical style of play into the remainder of the season, racking up a high level of penalty minutes. As Wilson's career progressed, he began to receive criticism from other teams for hits and checks to his opponents' heads. Wilson was first fined for checking in 2016, and received his first suspension during the 2017 preseason. His and the Capitals' Stanley Cup championship in 2018 was similarly overshadowed by a number of controversial hits during the playoffs, including one to Zach Aston-Reese that resulted in a three-game suspension. The NHL elected to suspend Wilson for 20 games that October, following an illegal hit to the head of Oskar Sundqvist during a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. It was his fourth suspension in 105 games.
After serving the suspension, which was appealed and reduced to 14 games, Wilson began to retool his approach to the game, limiting his hits on his opponents and focusing instead on generating goals. During the 2018–19 NHL season, he set career highs in goals and points. In 2021, however, Wilson's performance as a power forward and enforcer came under fire from opposing coaches again after causing two serious injuries to other skaters: first Brandon Carlo of the Boston Bruins, followed by Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers.
