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Rolling with Admirals
Winnipeggers rising to challenges as AHL rookies
By
Ken Wiebe, QMI Agency
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  Milwaukee Admirals' Colin Wilson, who was raised in Winnipeg, keeps his eye on the play during AHL action against the Moose at the MTS Centre last night. Wilson suffered a groin injury at the beginning of the season but now feels more confident on the ice. (Marcel Cretain, Winnipeg Sun)
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They are two of the crown jewels in the Nashville Predators farm system and both are proud Winnipeggers at heart.
Forward Colin Wilson and goalie Chet Pickard are enjoying their first seasons as professional hockey players, but it has not been without its challenges.
Wilson, the son of longtime NHLer Carey Wilson, started his season off by suffering a groin injury, which affected his powerful stride.
"Being out for three weeks after training camp started and being out another three weeks of the season, obviously it takes a bit of time to get the game back, but it's exciting to be a pro hockey player so far," the younger Wilson explained yesterday before his Milwaukee Admirals took on the Manitoba Moose at the MTS Centre. "I knew the way it was going to be. To be able to be paid to do something you love has been great. I'm just trying to get better and develop."
Wilson, a power forward who suited up for Team USA at the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships, hasn't been scoring at the pace he's accustomed to but he's finally feeling more comfortable after getting the injury under control.
"The chances are there," said Wilson, who has five goals and 13 points after picking up a goal and an assist in last night's 6-2 victory over the Moose. "I'm finally starting to get my game back and I'm really confident out there. I'm starting to figure out my game more and I realize you have to have your feet moving all the time."
Wilson, 20, captured an NCAA championship with the Boston University Terriers in the spring before signing with the Predators.
"That was the most exciting time of my career so far, the moment we won that national championship," said Wilson, who was chosen seventh overall by the Predators in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. "It's going to be really hard to top that."
The thrills continued this fall when Wilson started the season with the Predators and scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins.
"It was fun being up there and it really motivates me to get back up there," said Wilson. "I just want to keep getting better here. I want to win, get better offensively and develop my all-around game."
By his own admission, Pickard (the 18th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) has also endured his fair share of ups-and-downs this season.
His welcome to the AHL was about as tough as they come as Pickard, 20, was lit up for seven goals in his first professional start.
"I really knew what it took to play in this league after my first game," said Pickard, who helped Canada win a gold medal during the 2009 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.
"I kind of underestimated how good this league was. You've got to be on top of your game every night. I come to the rink and work hard. There have been streaks of good games and streaks of bad games. It's just a learning curve I have to go through. I've gotten a lot better and a lot quicker, but I'm learning every day."
At the peak of his play, Pickard started nine consecutive games and found out what it can be like to carry the mail at this level.
"I like to be the guy who plays every game, I think everybody wants it to be like that," said Pickard, who was the 2009 Canadian Hockey League goalie of the year after an outstanding finish to his Western Hockey League career with the Tri-City Americans. "Once you get on a roll, you kind of stay on a roll. I think I showed what I'm capable of."
Pickard, who is expected to start tonight, is 9-7-2 this season with a 2.80 goals against average.
ken.wiebe@sunmedia.ca
