Colin Wilson (born October 20, 1989) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward. He played eleven seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL) for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

and

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

. He was drafted seventh overall by the Predators in the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL entry draft was the 46th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL entry draft ...

. Prior to joining the NHL, Wilson played for the

Boston University Terriers The Boston University Terriers are the ten men's and fourteen women's Varsity team, varsity athletic teams representing Boston University in NCAA Division I competition. Boston University's team nickname is the Terriers, and the official mascot ...

in the

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

conference. During his sophomore year, Wilson was named to the First Team All-American and Hockey East First Team.

Playing career

Early career

After initially playing with the U.S. National Development Team Program as a junior, Wilson enrolled to play collegiate hockey with the

of the

. After his freshman year with the Terriers in 2007–08, he was awarded New England's college hockey Rookie of the Year, as well as Hockey East Rookie of the Year. He was selected in the first round, 7th overall, by the

of the

(NHL) in the

. Wilson led the Terriers in points in his sophomore season. He was recognized as one of the best players in NCAA Division I with his election to the Hobey Hat Trick, a group of three players nominated to win the

Hobey Baker Memorial Award The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 44 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton Universit ...

. His teammate,

Matt Gilroy Matthew J. Gilroy (born July 20, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who last played for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). Gilroy played in National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Ranger ...

, eventually won the award. Wilson was named a First Team All–American, Hockey East First Team, Hockey East leading goal scorer and was second in the nation in total points. The Terriers were ranked the #1 team in the nation for much of Wilson's sophomore season and went on to win the National Championship.

Professional

Nashville Predators

Wilson signed a three-year entry-level contract with Nashville on April 17, 2009, following his sophomore season. Wilson made his NHL debut with the Predators on October 12, 2009. He scored his first NHL goal on October 21 against Tim Thomas of the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

. Following the

2014–15 NHL season The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes prior to the season. The Los Angeles Kings became the first team ...

Wilson became a restricted free agent under the

NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is the basic contract between the National Hockey League (NHL) (32 team owners and NHL commissioner) and the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA), designed to be arrived at through the typical labour–ma ...

. The Nashville Predators made him a

qualifying offer A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

to retain his NHL rights, and on July 5, 2015, Wilson filed for Salary Arbitration. He signed a four-year, $15.75 million deal with the Predators on July 27, 2015.

Colorado Avalanche

On July 1, 2017, Wilson was traded by the Predators to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fourth round draft pick in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. Wilson faced his former Nashville teammates in the first round of the

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2017–18 season. The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, after the regular season, and they concluded on June 7, 2018, with the Washington Capi ...

. He registered an assist as the Avalanche lost in six games, ending their season. On July 1, 2019, Wilson agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Avalanche worth $2.6 million.

International play

Wilson decided to represent

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, for whom he had played at the 2008 World Juniors. At the tournament he was tied for the most goals with 6. He was the only roster player never to have played a game in the NHL selected to represent Team USA at the

2009 IIHF World Championship The 2009 IIHF World Championship took place from 24 April to 10 May 2009 in Switzerland. The games were played in the PostFinance Arena in Bern and Schluefweg in Kloten. The PostFinance Arena in Bern was renovated and accommodates an atten ...

s in Bern/Kloten,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Personal life

Wilson is the son of former NHL player Carey Wilson and the grandson of former NHL player Jerry Wilson. He was born in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

while his father played for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, but he was raised in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. Wilson was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in 2019.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Colin 1989 births American men's ice hockey centers Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Colorado Avalanche players Living people Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators draft picks Nashville Predators players NHL first-round draft picks Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut Ice hockey people from Fairfield County, Connecticut AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans People with obsessive–compulsive disorder NCAA men's ice hockey national champions