Tom Wilson on balancing physicality and offensive skill: ‘I just want to be spending more time on the ice, less time in the box’

ARLINGTON, VA — Tom Wilson spent the early days of his career better known for what he could do with his body than what he could do with the puck. As a young player, Wilson established a reputation for physicality by throwing hits and punches alike, a skill that made him beloved in Washington but saw him become a frequent visitor of the penalty box and NHL Department of Player Safety.

Now 31, Wilson hasn’t lost his edge, but he’s diversified his skillset. His offensive talent was on full display with a 65-point season (33g, 32a) in 2024-25 that saw him nearly double his previous career high in scoring and record his first-ever 30-goal campaign. Off the ice, he’s become a crucial part of the Capitals locker room as the team’s presumed future captain.

13 years into his NHL career, Wilson is still far from a shrinking violet, but he’s learned when to enact his revenge with his body and when to find it in the back of the net.

“At this point in my career, I just want to be spending more time on the ice, less time in the box, so I try and pick my spots when I can,” Wilson told RMNB on Friday.

Wilson hit his peak in fights in his very first season, dropping the gloves 14 times as a rookie in 2013-14 while scoring 10 points (3g, 7a). He’s been suspended seven times in his NHL career, including four hit-related suspensions in a span of 105 games from 2017 to 2018, and led the league in penalty minutes (96) during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

In comparison, Wilson fought just four times in 2024-25, and his last suspension came in 2024 for a high stick, not a hit. His most recent fight came during a preseason Gordie Howe Hat trick on September 30, but he held back when Bruins forward Mark Kastelic tried to drop the gloves on Opening Night.

To Wilson, the tradeoff wasn’t worth it if it would send both him and Kastelic to the box — he was far more valuable to the Capitals on the ice.

“I don’t know — I feel like at this point in my career, I don’t need to take that fight,” he said. “It’s a guy on the other side that’s playing minimal minutes. I feel like I’ve kind of turned the momentum a little bit already and don’t need to fight to add on top of it.”

Wilson’s physical reputation makes him a prime target for players looking to drop the gloves, many of whom have watched his fights over the years. If it’s not beneficial for him, however, Wilson has no qualms about turning them down.

“I think everybody — I mean, there’s a code, kind of, within the game.” he explained. “Some of the guys bother me, some of the guys don’t. Some of the guys do it for show, some of the guys do it for other reasons. There’s a lot that goes into it. At the end of the day, most of the time it’s on my terms. I get to decide. Depending on the game, depending on the situation, what happens, defending a teammate, there’s so much that goes into it. So I’ve tried to grow up a little bit and mature and know when the right time to do it and when aren’t.”

A period after brushing off Kastelic, Wilson would score the Capitals’ lone goal against Boston, though it wasn’t enough to swing the 3-1 loss.

Wilson’s decision to decline Kastelic’s invitation doesn’t mean his physicality wasn’t a factor in the game. Kastelic’s invitation had stemmed from a big hit Wilson laid on Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei, and he threw another one later in the period.

Another lesson Wilson’s picked up over his decade-plus in the league has seen him warn opposing players before some particularly heavy hits, a tactic he learned after controversial plays earlier in his career. He noted, however, that some of his checks still come as a surprise.

“It depends. There’s certain areas of the ice that warrant it more than others,” Wilson said Friday. “Just if a guy’s unsuspecting or something, I find it kind of keeps me out of trouble sometimes. But sometimes you don’t get a warning. Sometimes you get a warning and you do what you want with it, and then the next shift you get a real hit if you don’t listen to the warning.

“But it’s all part of the game. I don’t think anyone’s out there trying to hurt anyone. You just want to play as hard as you can.”

Those moments of physicality remain a major feature of Wilson’s game, and one that’s proven a boon for Washington. Last spring, several of Wilson’s teammates named his hit on Alexandre Carrier as the turning point of the Capitals first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

As Wilson grows into one of the Capitals’ strongest players, he has no plans to retire the grittier aspects of his play, but he’s learned be choosy, saving it for the moments he needs it the most.

“You can kind of feel when the game may need it,” Wilson said. “I always play hard, I always play physical, but those big momentum-changing hits, sometimes you just need to go out and make some noise if the team’s kind of low on energy or they’ve taken the momentum in the game. So it’s kind of a feel thing. It’s something I’ve done my whole career, so it’ll always be a big part of my game.”