Large Talent
Carey Wilson would like to play in the National Hockey League some day. "It's been my ultimate goal all my life," says the sophomore from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wilson is well on his way to fulfilling that dream. As a freshman, he scored 16 goals and tallied 22 assists for the Dartmouth varsity. He was also selected by the Chicago Black Hawks of the N.H.L. in the fourth round of last year's amateur draft. Wilson attended the Hawks' training camp in Chicago last summer. "I didn't skate because there was some question about my eligibility," he explains, "but I hope I would have felt right at home skating with them. Of course, that's hard to say. It looks easier than it really is. It's actually a lot tougher than what I'm used to."
Wilson began this year as an "off wing" on coach George Crowe's first line, playing on the left side with a right-handed shot. His linemates were senior co-captain Mark Bedard in the middle and senior Rick Wilson, who is not related to Carey, on the right. The Big Green got off to another slow start this season and had a 2-5 record before the annual Auld Lang Syne tournament in Hanover at the end of December. (Dartmouth started slowly last year but finished second in the East and third in the nation.) The team lost to Colgate and Clarkson by a combined score of 15-2 before winning its first game, 6-2, against Boston University. The Green was stung by a 10-6 defeat at Northeastern but rebounded to defeat Harvard, 3-2, at Cambridge. Minnesota defeated visiting Dartmouth 7-2 and 9-2.
Wilson scored three goals against Boston University. It was the first time he had recorded the hat trick for Dartmouth. "I had a couple of two-goal games last year," he notes, "but I was lucky against B.U. I had to be in the right spot at the right time." He considers his two-goal, two-assist performance against R.P.I, last year to be his best effort so far. That 8-0 victory over Rensselaer came in the first round of the E.C.A.C. tournament. "And, of course, playing in Boston Garden [the E.C.A.C. playoffs] and Providence [the N.C.A.A. tournament] were the big highlights of last year," he says.
A skater since the age of two and a half, Wilson began playing organized hockey a couple of years later. When he was 12, he spent a year in Sweden where his father, an orthopedic surgeon, was involved in a research project. "That year really helped my skating," he observes. "In fact, one of the reasons I like college hockey is because it helps your skating. You have to keep up or you won't be around." Wilson attended Vincent Massey Collegiate High School in Winnipeg in 1977-78 and then transfered to Lord Beaverbrook High School in Calgary, Alberta, a 20-hour drive from his home. He played Junior A hockey with the Calgary Chinooks. His 36-goal, 36-assist performance earned him rookie-of-the-year honors. He also completed three years of high school in two years. Wilson, his twin brother, and an older brother were all recruited by Dartmouth, but Carey was the only one to be accepted by the College. His brothers are now playing in the Western Hockey League, a step up from Junior A.
Wilson is majoring in biochemistry and carries a B average. He'd like to follow his Father into the medical profession. "My number one priority now is to get a degree from Dartmouth," he says. "Then I'd like to take a shot at the pros. I wouldn't want to do that all my life, so after five years or so I would like to quit so that I could pursue a degree in medicine." Wilson pauses and then says with a laugh, "And then maybe I could go back and play hockey." He has kept up his academic average through self-discipline. "I had to give up a lot of events," he says. "But school comes first, hockey is second although not too far behind school and parties are third."
Of the returning players, Wilson is Dartmouth's leading scorer, having finished fifth in Ivy League scoring last year, and he is an excellent stick handler for a player who weighs 200 pounds and stands almost 6 feet 2 inches tall. "Carey could develop into one of the top all-time Division I players," says coach Crowe. "He has a great deal of offensive talent and is constantly improving his defensive skills." Wilson is optimistic about the team's chances this season despite the loss of six lettermen including all-America Ross Brownridge, the school's third all-time leading scorer, and all-Ivy Dennis Murphy, the fifth career scorer. "I think we've got a lot of potential. It's just a matter of getting our act together. We have four good lines who can play against anybody. We just have to put it together," Wilson says.
