William Richard Wilson, Jr. (June 17, 1962 – January 22, 2016) was an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

player.

Playing career

A youth roller hockey phenom in Southern California, Wilson moved as a teenager to

Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. Its population was 87,294 at the 2020 U.S. census, making Troy the most populous city in the county and the 13th most-populous municipality in the state. Troy is a northern suburb of Me ...

and then

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

. Rik Wilson played junior hockey with the

Kingston Canadians The Kingston Canadians were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League from 1973 to 1988. The team played home games at the Kingston Memorial Centre in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. History The Kingston Canadians arrival in the Ontario ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

from 1979–1982, appearing in 151 games, scoring 172 points (54 goals-118 assists), and in 16 playoff games, he had 14 points (2G-12A). Wilson was drafted by the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

in the 1st round, 12th overall pick in the

1980 NHL Entry Draft The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubled ...

. He also spent 4 games with the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

of the CHL in the 1980–81 playoffs, getting 2 points (1G-1A) in 4 games. He stepped right into the Blues lineup in 1981–82, playing in 48 games, getting 21 points (3G-18A), then had 3 points (0G-3A) in 9 post-season games as a 20-year-old. In 1982–83, his numbers slipped a bit to 14 points (3G-11A) in 56 games and spent some time with the Golden Eagles once again, getting no points in 4 games. Wilson spent most of the 1983–84 season with the Blues, getting 18 points (4G-14A) in 48 games, but went pointless in 10 playoff games. He also spent 6 games with the Montana Magic of the CHL, getting 3 assists. In 1984–85, Wilson would achieve a career high in points at 24 (8G-16A) in 51 games. He also had an assist in 2 playoff games. Wilson began the 1985–86 season in St. Louis, and after 32 games, he had 4 points (0G-4A). The Blues then traded Wilson, along with Joey Mullen and Terry Johnson to the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

for Eddy Beers, Charlie Bourgeois, and

Gino Cavallini Gino J. Cavallini (born November 24, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He is the brother of the NHL hockey player Paul Cavallini. Cavallini played one year for the St. Michael's Buzzers, a Junior hockey team in the ...

on February 1, 1986. Wilson would only play 2 games with the Flames, going pointless, before he was sent to the

Moncton Golden Flames The Moncton Golden Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Moncton, New Brunswick, playing home games at the Moncton Coliseum. The team operated in the American Hockey League between 1984 and 1987. The new franchise was purchased by a ...

of the AHL, where he had 6 points (3G-3A) in 8 games. On March 11, 1986, Wilson was on the move again, this time to the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

, as the Flames traded him to the Hawks for

Tom McMurchy Tom McMurchy (born December 2, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He played 55 games in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks and the Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey ...

. The Blackhawks assigned Wilson to the

Nova Scotia Oilers The Nova Scotia Oilers were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1984 to 1988. The Oilers played their home games at the Halifax Metro Centre, and were the AHL affiliate of the Edmo ...

for the remainder of the season, getting 9 points (4G-5A) in 13 games. In 1986–87, Wilson spent the season with the

, getting 21 points (8G-13A) in 45 games, and had 4 points (1G-3A) in 5 playoff games. For the 1987–88 season, Wilson moved to the Blackhawks IHL affiliate, the

Saginaw Hawks The Saginaw Hawks were an ice hockey team that competed in the International Hockey League from 1987 to 1989. Prominent former Saginaw Hawks include goalie Ed Belfour. The team was formerly known as the Saginaw Generals from 1985 to 1987. The Sa ...

, where he had 9 points (4G-5A) in 33 games, and earned his way back up to the NHL, playing in 14 games with Chicago, earning 9 points (4G-5A). In 1988–89, Wilson went overseas to play in Europe, where he suited up for

EC Villacher SV EC Grand Immo VSV are an ice hockey team in the ICE Hockey League. They play their home games at Stadthalle (capacity approximately 4500 spectators) in Villach, Austria. The team colors are blue and white. Their mascot is an eagle - Villach's c ...

in Austria, where he recorded 60 points (17G-43A) in 45 games. On July 19, 1989, Wilson decided to sign with the

, and played in 15 games with the Blues IHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, getting 5 points (1G-4A) before being released. He then went to Europe once again, playing for

ESV Kaufbeuren ESV Kaufbeuren (ESVK) is a professional ice hockey team based in Kaufbeuren, Germany. They currently play in DEL2 DEL2 (also known as DEL II) is the second tier ice hockey league in Germany, below the '' Deutsche Eishockey Liga'' (DEL) and ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, getting 9 points (2G-7A) in 9 games. In 1990–91, Wilson played 2 games for the

New Haven Nighthawks The New Haven Nighthawks were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1972 to 1992. They had affiliations with the Minnesota North Stars (1972–1977), New York Islanders (1972–1973), New York Rangers (19 ...

of the AHL, getting no points, while playing the rest of the year with

in Austria once again, getting 58 points (13G-45A) in 44 games. In 1991–92, Wilson spent the year in Italy playing for HC Auronzo, recording 35 points (13G-22A) in 24 games. He then made a brief appearance with the

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

of the IHL, going pointless in 2 games in 1992–93. Wilson then played in the RHI with the St. Louis Vipers from 1993–96, playing in 55 games, while scoring 110 points (35G-75A).

Death

Wilson died on January 22, 2016, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

at the age of 53.

Career statistics

Awards

* OHL First All-Star Team (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Rik 1962 births 2016 deaths American men's ice hockey defensemen Calgary Flames players Chicago Blackhawks players Fort Wayne Komets players Ice hockey players from California Kingston Canadians players Moncton Golden Flames players Montana Magic players National Hockey League first-round draft picks New Haven Nighthawks players Nova Scotia Oilers players Peoria Rivermen (AHL) players Saginaw Hawks players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (CHL) players Sportspeople from Long Beach, California St. Louis Blues draft picks St. Louis Blues players St. Louis Vipers players