No, it’s not Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy. Not top scorer in 2010-11 Alex Chiasson. Not Eric Gryba either. It’s the guy that Gilroy beat out for the Hobey Baker, the second-highest scorer in the nation in his sophomore season, on the eventual 2009 National Championship team that’s tearing it up in the bigs right now. That’s right, Colin Wilson, your time has come.
After putting up about 30 points in each of his first three full NHL seasons (not counting the lockout-shortened season), he’s logged the same number of points in half the time, third on the Nashville Predators in points scored, second in goals.
What’s so different about this season for the former Terrier? I would dare to say it’s the guys around him, his linemates, that make the difference for Wilson this season.
At center, Mike Fisher, always a scorer, has been within the top 5 point getters for the Predators each of the last three seasons. On the right wing, James Neal, a power forward with a possible scoring touch, showing off his skills in Pittsburgh before being traded to Nashville during last year’s draft. Fisher was out of the Nashville lineup for the first two months of the season, but since returning, he’s registered 18 points in 24 games played. With someone averaging 0.75 points per game as your center, it’s not tough to see why Wilson is doing so well. Add Neal into that equation, who takes the third most shots on goal for the Preds and has 27 points in 39 games, you’re going to get results.
Maybe it could be Wilson himself too, with impressive possession numbers so far this season, or maybe it could be new Predators’ coach Peter Laviolette, and his aggressive offensive coaching philosophy. With any number of new factors, this BU hockey alumnus is having a lot of success this year in the NHL.
With that in mind, let’s check in on some of his former Terrier teammates.
Gilroy fluctuated between the NHL and AHL in his last few seasons in North America, generating a lack of interest before signing with the Atlant Moscow Oblast of the KHL. Gilroy appeared in 225 NHL games during his North American career, bouncing from the New York Rangers, to the Tampa Bay Lightning, to the Ottawa Senators, back to the Rangers, and then to the Florida Panthers before departing for the K. He’s certainly well traveled.
Chiasson, who lit up his first professional season with the Dallas Stars in the 2013-14 season (13-22-35), hasn’t had the same amount of prowess after being traded to the Ottawa Senators for Jason Spezza, with only 17 points in 43 games. He’s projected to finish the season with 31 points, short of his total last year.
Matt Nieto, playing for the San Jose Sharks, shows touches of NHL level skill with his high-caliber linemates, Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. He has 11 points in 38 games as a second liner.
Another NHL second liner, Charlie Coyle of the Minnesota Wild, is on pace for a career year, with 19 points in 46 games. A Wild team that’s 2-6-2 in its last 10 games could use all the offensive help it can get. He has five points in 11 games through the month of January so far.
Finally, the most successful, top four defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is also on pace for a career season, with 39 points in 46 games. Shattenkirk’s numbers and sturdy play on the blue line even earned him a trip to the NHL All Star Weekend slated to start Friday.
Sometimes, we get so caught up in how well our current Terriers team is doing, that we forget that the program has generated some bright stars, who continue to shine in their NHL careers.