Tom Wilson sits among Washington's top point producers and sees duty in every game state. On top of that, his grit and willingness to play heavy weigh on contests in ways that go past the raw hit totals the league logs — for what it's worth, he registered 179 of them last season, ranking 39th across the NHL.
In a Russian-language sit-down with BetNews, conducted alongside his younger brother Ilya, Aliaksei Protas broke down the extra mental wrinkle Wilson supplies the club.
Speaking through a Google Translate rendering, Aliaksei described Wilson's presence as simply part of his nature. He noted that Wilson hardly has to utter a word for rivals to grasp exactly whom they're up against, and that every roster has a player of that mold. When you're tempted to finish a check hard or push past the whistle, Aliaksei said, the thought creeps in that a guy seated nearby or out skating may store it away and exact a price afterward, a moment that will stick with you — which is exactly why such players carry so much weight.
Over a good chunk of the previous two campaigns riding shotgun with Aliaksei, Wilson has rarely shied from imposing himself, particularly when opponents take runs at Washington's talented forwards. Case in point: after Jack McBain fractured Alex Ovechkin's leg in a 2024-25 contest, the forward from the Utah Mammoth was made to settle accounts with Wilson, among the loop's most dreaded heavyweights, despite a broad consensus that the collision carried no ill intent.
Wilson's game isn't just forcing rivals to drop the gloves, either. He's an elite-tier needler and chirper, at times defusing scrums — because who's eager to tangle with him — and at other times painting a bullseye on himself, a role his frame and power let him shoulder.
His thunderous checks don't merely make opposing skaters think twice; they can flip a game's trajectory outright.
A bruising open-ice blow Wilson delivered to Alexandre Carrier set up a tally by Brandon Duhaime and, beyond that, sparked a Game 4 comeback in Washington's 2025 first-round meeting with the Montreal Canadiens.
Goaltender Logan Thompson called Wilson the very heartbeat of the franchise, explaining that the group draws energy from his plays and big hits, that the whole arena does too on home ice, and that, plainly put, Wilson is enormous to the team and beloved by it.
Riding that surge, Washington dispatched the Habs in a five-game series.
Analysts have tagged Wilson a unicorn for just how rare and impactful his game is, swaying the scoresheet as well as where opposing clubs train their focus.
Duhaime summed it up by saying Wilson takes care of all of it for them — the hits, the goals, the fights — and is a real leader who handles every part of the job.