When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a college player about to be drafted, the first thought that comes to mind is committing to the college\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153party line.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My first commitment is to (school of choice). I have every intention of returning there in the fall with the hopes of winning a national championship.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rote. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what every kid is trained to say.<\/p>\n
Well maybe not every kid. <\/p>\n
Enter Colin Wilson. Wilson was one of the most talented players to take the ice for Boston University last season. He struggled a bit early in the year, but after leading the World Junior Championship in goals scored (eight), Wilson returned a new man. <\/p>\n
Wilson finished the season with 35 points in 37 games, 23 of which came after coming back from the world class tournament. <\/p>\n
As much as a return Boston University might be on the radar screen for the sophomore-to-be, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also realistic that the NHL may soon be calling.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been talking,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wilson when asked about any conversations that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had with BU head coach Jack Parker. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We know the [NHL] team that selects me is going to have a say in what they want me to do. If they say, go back to college, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go back. If they say they want me to sign, I may tell them I want to go back. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153[Coach Parker] told me the opportunities that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have next year at BU and those [opportunities] will have a toll when I make my decision.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
All that said, a boyhood dream is what could easily influence Wilson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everybody always talks about their college years and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to miss out on, but at the same time, I look at all my buddies from home that are playing in the WHL, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m a year ahead of them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wilson. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153When I was growing up, my dream was to play in the NHL, so if I get that opportunity I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather seize the moment.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Wilson is thought to easily be a top 10 choice in this weekend\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s NHL Entry Draft. Some have placed him as a top four pick, going to St. Louis with the fourth overall selection. If that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, the expectation will be to make an immediate impact, either at the NHL level or, minimally, playing for their farm team in the American Hockey League. <\/p>\n
Others say that somewhere in the top 10 is the destination for the talented player that the NHL Central Scouting Service calls a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153skilled and power forward.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Wherever he ends up, Wilson has a solid understanding of that fact that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still development remaining. <\/p>\n
Despite being called a natural scorer (Wilson instead calls his scoring \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gritty\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with natural vision similar to Peter Forsberg), scouting reports say that skating is one area where Wilson lacks. According to The Hockey News<\/i>, one scout said that Wilson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skating \u00e2\u20ac\u0153won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hold him back but . . . it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one thing that holds him back from being mentioned with [consensus number one overall] Steven Stamkos.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
To that, Wilson has a response. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In terms of skating, the only thing that is true about [what is said] is my choppy stride,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wilson. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a pretty skater, but every time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m the first to [get to] the puck. I talked to scouts at the [NHL] Combine and they told me my skating has improved constantly since my 17-year-old year. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I feel just as fast as the next guy out there. I feel, though, that if I get [my skating] to an elite level, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to put me up with the other prospects.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
If anything, Wilson may have a leg up on the competition in terms of experience. Besides having played for the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP), Wilson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father, Carey, was a 10-year NHL veteran. Still, advice isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t truly what this solid prospect needs at this point in life.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153[My dad] hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t told me anything,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wilson. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly a highly touted prospect.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
But Wilson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s past USNTDP teammates have had a lot of insight.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bit of a process,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wilson of his relationships with past USNTDP players. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I understand with the draft there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot of talking to teams in getting ready for it. The main thing is not to be nervous. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just going to enjoy the experience and it should be a good time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
It was possibly New Hampshire forward James van Riesmdyk who gave Wilson the best advice. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He told me the way it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be like when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sitting around waiting for your name to be called. He said there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing like it [hearing your name] but he also said the day after the draft, it just sucks: just that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be going back to being a regular hockey player.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
And who says being a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153regular\u00e2\u20ac\u009d hockey player is really that bad? Truth be told, playing college hockey will never be the worst feeling in the world. And knowing that at the end of the day you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re one of the most sought after players in the game certainly adds to that excitement. <\/p>\n
When this weekend comes to a close that is what Wilson, and many others, hope to realize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a college player about to be drafted, the first thought that comes to mind is committing to the college\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153party line.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My first commitment is to (school of choice). I have every intention of returning there in the fall with the hopes of winning a national championship.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rote. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what every kid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n