Tonight’s game between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks marks a significant milestone for Tom Wilson. For the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Wilson suits up for his 700th career game. He was drafted by the Capitals and has remained with the Capitals and will continue to remain there for the next seven seasons.
Via NHL Stats, among players to debut with the Capitals, Wilson will be the fourth youngest player to reach the 700 game mark. The others that were younger include Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Gartner.
Wilson ranks third on the Capitals in games payed since making his NHL regular season debut on Oct. 1, 2013. The two players ahead of him are Ovechkin with 765 games and John Carlson with 712 since opening night of the 2013-14 season.
The 29 year old will be the fourth player from the 2012 NHL Draft to reach the 700 game mark. The others who already reached it from that draft class include Morgan Rielly, Cody Ceci, and Jacob Trouba.
Among his draft class, Wilson ranks sixth in goals with 132 and seventh in points with 304. So far this season, Wilson has recorded nine points in 19 games with four goals and five assists. Wilson leads the Capitals and ranks tied for fourth in the NHL in penalties drawn with 14.
Since making his NHL regular season debut on Oct. 1, 2013, Wilson ranks sixth in the NHL in hits with 2,095. The three time 20 goal scorer has scored 83 even strength goals since the 2017-18 season which ranks second on the Capitals in that span behind Ovechkin who has 180 even strength goals.
Wilson was signed to a contract extension at the beginning of August for seven seasons which will kick in next season. Many look to him as potentially the next team captain when Ovechkin hangs up his skates.
Congratulations to Tom Wilson on this huge milestone. We can’t wait to see you reach 1,000 games in a Capitals uniform and we’re glad he’s ours. Other NHL fanbases will never know what it’s like to have such a true team player on their squad.