Rik Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rik Wilson |
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| Born | June 17, 1962 Long Beach, California, U.S. |
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| Died | January 22, 2016 (aged 53) St. Louis, MO, USA |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues Calgary Flames Chicago Blackhawks |
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| NHL Draft | 12th overall, 1980 St. Louis Blues |
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| Playing career | 1981–1988 | ||
William Richard Wilson, Jr. (born June 17, 1962 – died January 22, 2016), known as Rik Wilson, was an American professional ice hockey player. He played as a defenseman in the NHL for several teams, including the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, and Chicago Blackhawks.
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Rik Wilson's Hockey Journey
Rik Wilson started playing roller hockey in Southern California when he was young. He was very good at it! As a teenager, he moved to Michigan and then to Ontario, Canada.
Junior Hockey Years
Wilson played junior hockey for the Kingston Canadians in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1979 to 1982. He played in 151 games, scoring 54 goals and making 118 assists, for a total of 172 points. His great play led to him being picked by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 12th player chosen overall!
Time in the NHL
Rik Wilson joined the St. Louis Blues in the 1981–82 season. He played in 48 games and earned 21 points (3 goals, 18 assists). He also played in 9 playoff games that year. Over the next few seasons, he continued to play for the Blues, scoring 24 points (8 goals, 16 assists) in 51 games during the 1984–85 season, which was his best year for points.
In February 1986, the Blues traded Wilson to the Calgary Flames. He played only two games for the Flames before being traded again, this time to the Chicago Blackhawks in March 1986. He played 14 games for the Blackhawks in the 1987–88 season, getting 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists).
Playing in Minor Leagues and Europe
Besides the NHL, Wilson also played for several minor league teams. These included the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the CHL and the Moncton Golden Flames and Nova Scotia Oilers in the AHL. He also played for the Saginaw Hawks in the IHL.
After his time in the NHL, Wilson went to Europe to play hockey. He played for teams like EC Villacher SV in Austria and ESV Kaufbeuren in Germany. He had some very successful seasons overseas, scoring many points.
Roller Hockey Career
Later in his career, Rik Wilson also played professional roller hockey. He joined the St. Louis Vipers in the RHI league from 1993 to 1996. He played in 55 games and scored 110 points (35 goals, 75 assists).
Career Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1978–79 | Kingston Legionnaires | Midget | 44 | 18 | 33 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1979–80 | Kingston Canadians | OMJHL | 67 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 75 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1980–81 | Kingston Canadians | OHL | 68 | 30 | 70 | 100 | 108 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 18 | ||
| 1980–81 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1981–82 | Kingston Canadians | OHL | 16 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 48 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 56 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Salt Lake Golden Eagles | CHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 48 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 53 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| 1983–84 | Montana Magic | CHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 51 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1984–85 | Flint Generals | IHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1985–86 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Moncton Golden Flames | AHL | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 13 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 45 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 109 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | ||
| 1987–88 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 14 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Saginaw Hawks | IHL | 33 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 105 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | EC VSV | AUT | 45 | 17 | 43 | 60 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | ESV Kaufbeuren | DEU.2 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Peoria Rivermen | IHL | 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | EC VSV | AUT | 44 | 13 | 45 | 58 | 140 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | HC Auronzo | ITA.2 | 24 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Fort Wayne Komets | IHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 251 | 25 | 65 | 90 | 220 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 23 | ||||
| AHL totals | 68 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 126 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 20 | ||||
| AUT totals | 89 | 30 | 88 | 118 | 250 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards
- OHL First All-Star Team (1981)
Death
Rik Wilson passed away on January 22, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was 53 years old.
