Scott Wilson

History

2008-09: Scott Wilson appeared in seven games (one playoff contest) with the Georgetown Raiders in the Ontario Jr. Hockey League. He played most of the season for the Oakville Rangers midget team. In his seven games with the Raiders, he had 1 assist with 2 PMs.

2009-10: Wilson had a strong rookie season in his first full year with the Raiders; scoring 24 goals with 43 assists and 28 PMs in 56 games. He scored 5 of his 24 goals on the power play and also had 9 assists with the man-advantage. In 11 playoff games, he scored 9 goals with 8 assists and had 2 PMs. Wilson committed to playing college hockey at Massachusetts-Lowell in 2011-12. Wilson was not ranked by Central Scouting and not selected in the 2010 NHL Draft.

2010-11: Wilson appeared in 43 games for Georgetown and scored 20 goals with 41 assists and 59 PMs. In four playoff games, he score 1 goal with 2 assists and had 8 PMs. Two of his three points, including his goal, came on the power play. Wilson was selected for Canada East in the World Junior U-19 Challenge and scored 3 goals with 3 assists in five games. Wilson was not among the 210 North American skaters listed in Central Scouting’s final rankings. He was selected in the seventh round (209th overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: Wilson fit right into the lineup for Massachusetts-Lowell as a freshman; scoring at a point-per-game pace and being named Hockey East’s Rookie of the Year. He scored 16 goals with 22 assists and was plus-12 with 26 penalty minutes in 37 games. The River Hawks were one of the big surprises in college hockey — finishing second in Hockey East and reaching the NCAA East Regional Final against Union after defeating Miami.

2012-13: Wilson led the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in scoring as a sophomore in what was the most successful season in school history. Playing with various linemates throughout he season, he scored 16 goals with 22 assists in 41 games and was +5 with 32 penalty minutes. The River Hawks won the Hockey East regular season title and defeated Boston University, 1-0, in the Hockey East championship game. Massachusetts-Lowell reached the Frozen Four by defeating New Hampshire, 2-0, in the Northeast Regional final and lost to eventual national champion Yale, 3-2, in overtime in the Frozen Four semifinals.

2013-14: Wilson made his pro hockey debut with Penguins AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton following his junior season at Massachusetts-Lowell — signing a two-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh in April 2014. He had no points nor penalties in his only regular season game and did not appear in any AHL playoff games. Wilson scored 7 goals with 12 assists and was +5 with 24 penalty minutes in 31 games for Massachusetts-Lowell. The River Hawks finished second to Boston College in the regular season and earned an NCAA tournament berth after winning the Hockey East tournament; defeating Minnesota State, 2-1, in the Northeast Regional semifinals before falling to Boston College, 4-3 in the region championship game. 

2014-15: Wilson made his NHL debut with the Penguins in a December 2nd game against New Jersey before being returned to AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and played in three playoff games in Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Rangers. He had no points nor penalties in four NHL games, averaging six minutes of ice time. Wilson was the fourth-leading scorer for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring 19 goals with 22 assists, and was +14 with 30 penalty minutes. The Penguins finished second in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Wilson scored 2 goals with 2 assists and was -3 with no penalties in three playoff games. 

2015-16: Wilson began the season in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before being recalled by Pittsburgh in December 2015. He played 24 regular season NHL games with the Penguins before suffering an undisclosed lower-body injury in March. Wilson scored 5 goals with 1 assist and had an even plus/minus with 12 penalty minutes, averaging 10:41 minutes of ice time. He was a point-per-game scorer in the AHL —  leading third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with 22 goals — and was +4 with 14 assists and 19 penalty minutes in 34 games before being recalled.  He was especially dangerous on the power play, scoring nine of his 22 goals with the man advantage. Wilson signed a two-year contract extension with Pittsburgh in March 2016.

Talent Analysis

Wilson’s style seems to be an ideal fit for the pro game. He is a strong skater who plays the same, simple game no matter what position or role he is slotted into. He has a good shot, good hockey sense, and is very good at delivering hard body checks, despite not being ideal size for an NHL forward. He is strong on the forecheck and possesses a fair amount of finishing ability.

Future

Wilson played in 24 NHL games with the Penguins in 2015-16 after being called up from the AHL in December before suffering an injury. One of the top scorers for Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate in his first two pro seasons, he had five goals in his limited ice time with the parent club and signed a two-year contract extension in March 2016. Wilson has a strong chance to make the Penguins out of training camp in 2016-17 and projects as a solid lower line forward and supplementary scorer.