The Washington Capitals Right Wing Tom Wilson has been selected to appear in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto in a few weeks. Wilson, 29, is fourth on the Capitals in points (19), but only five off the team leader Alex Ovechkin (24), and tied for second in goals (11). Wilson has the second-fewest goals of any Eastern Conference All-Star, only ahead of defenceman Rasmus Dahlin by one goal. It will be his second All-Star Game appearance. He was the Capitals representative in 2022.
Recruited Papa Willy to reveal the #NHLAllStar news to @tom_wilso with the team earlier this week 🥹
(We are so psyched for Grampie btw)#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/e78CqG64bd
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 5, 2024
Tom Wilson Selected to All-Star Game
The Tom Wilson All-Star selection comes when he is one of Washington’s leading scorers in a season that the team has struggled to score goals. The Capitals rank 30th in the NHL in goals-for per game (2.36) and 31st in total goals scored with 85 when the all-star selections were released. Tom Wilson has more goals than Alex Ovechkin (9) and only trails linemate Dylan Strome by two. Strome and Wilson alone account for over a quarter of the team’s total goals scored this season.
Wilson Has Put in the Work to Earn this Nod
Wilson’s 11 goals put him nearly halfway to his career-high of 24, which he set in 2021-22. He made his first All-Star Game appearance that season, where he scored the first goal of the bracket. In his career, Wilson is approaching 150 total goals scored. He only needs a dozen goals to reach both milestones. Therefore, he is projected to score 25 this season using a projection by eliteprospects.com.
Wilson, now 10 years into his career, is taking on a bigger role within the organization as well. Furthermore, he has worn the Alternate Captain’s letter this season with the long-term absence of Nicklas Backstrom. He signed a seven-year contract extension with the Capitals in August.
Main photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
