David John Wilkie (born May 30, 1974) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 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) with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

, and

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 ...

. He played defense and shot right-handed.

Playing career

After a successful season with the

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and plays its home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blaze ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

, Wilkie was seen as one of the top upcoming defensive prospects for the 1992 NHL Entry Draft and was selected in the 1st round, 20th overall, by the

. The following season, Wilkie returned to the Blazers and made his international debut representing the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1993

World Junior Ice Hockey Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), sometimes referred to as World Juniors, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is traditionally ...

(WJC). The 1993–94 season saw Wilkie split the year between the Blazers and

Regina Pats The Regina Pats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1917, the Pats are the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey franchise in its original location and using its original name. The ...

while also returning to the WJC for 1994. For the 1994–95 season, Wilkie made his professional debut and played the majority of the year with the

Fredericton Canadiens The Fredericton Canadiens, or the 'Baby Habs', were a professional ice hockey team in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Canadiens played their home games at the Aitken Centre. They were a member of the American Hockey League from 1990 to 1999, and ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) while also making his NHL debut, appearing in one game with Montreal. The following season, he split time with Fredericton and Montreal, appearing in 23 and 24 games respectively. The 1996–97 season saw Wilkie make the Montreal Canadiens full-time, appearing in 61 games and scoring 15 points, both NHL career highs. The 1997–98 season saw Wilkie play five games with the Canadiens before being traded to the

. Injuries would hamper Wilkie in his time with the Lightning. He played in 29 games with the Lightning during the 1997–98 season and only 46 for the 1998–99 season. The following season, Wilkie signed with the

, but ended up playing the majority of the time in the minors. He played the majority of two seasons with the Houston Aeros, appearing in one game with the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

during the 1999–2000 season and one game with the Rangers during the 2000–01 season. For the 2001–02 season, Wilkie signed with the

Augusta Lynx The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena. The Lynx, who played in the ECHL, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL a ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

as a player-coach. After one season with the Lynx, Wilkie retired as a player in 2002.

Coaching career

Following his player-coach stint, Wilkie returned for the 2002–03 as an assistant coach for the Augusta Lynx. Midway through the season he replaced the head coach and finished the year as the head coach of the team, leading them to a 24–32–6 record. After this he went on to coach the Omaha Gladiators Bantam AA (majors) and led them to a third-place finish at Nationals. Wilkie led the Omaha Jr. Lancers U16 to the National Championship Game at the 2008 USA Hockey Nationals in Buffalo, New York; placing second and finished the season with a 40–23–5 record. In the 2009–10 season, he head coached the Omaha Jr. Lancers U18 to the 2010 USA Hockey Nationals in Rochester, NY, where they finished second and finished the season with a 28–28–5 record. Has also coached PeeWee AA teams, Squirt AA teams, and also coaches the Omaha Tropics summer hockey team. He has also served as the volunteer assistant coach to the

University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public university, public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Omaha, Nebraska), Omaha Presbyterian Theological ...

Mavericks, a Division I hockey school. Wilkie was the head coach of the Omaha AAA Hockey Club that competes in the North American Prospects Hockey League. In 2017, Wilkie was hired as the head coach and general manager of the

Omaha Lancers The Omaha Lancers are a Junior ice hockey#Tier I, Tier I junior ice hockey team and are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Founded in 1986, the Lancers play at the Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Ra ...

in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

. He left the Lancers to pursue other opportunities in 2021 after compiling a 123–78–24 record.

Personal life

Wilkie is married to Carrie Anne. They have a blended family of seven children together.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkie, David 1974 births Living people American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American ice hockey coaches American men's ice hockey defensemen Cleveland Lumberjacks players Fredericton Canadiens players Hartford Wolf Pack players Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players Ice hockey people from Washington (state) Kamloops Blazers players Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players NHL first-round draft picks New York Rangers players Sportspeople from Ellensburg, Washington Regina Pats players Seattle Thunderbirds players Tampa Bay Lightning players 20th-century American sportsmen