The Capitals power forward said that he is feeling 100 percent and was able to maximize his training this offseason.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — To open training camp on Thursday, Tom Wilson had one of the best skate tests of his entire Washington Capitals career, finishing well ahead of the pack and even getting a water break while his fellow teammates were still finishing up.
"No puck, straight line, that's my forte," he joked.
The reality of it, though, is that it's a result of hard work and a busy offseason, combined with the fact that his ACL is no longer holding him back.
"I'm not thinking about it, I’m not worrying about it. I’m out there doing my thing and it’s nice to feel good... feeling like myself."
After spending last summer and change rehabilitating following ACL surgery in May 2022, Wilson admitted that he was still fighting through pain and minor tweaks following his return to the lineup last season. He also fractured his ankle in January.
It made things complicated for the 29-year-old, though he was still putting up solid numbers with 22 points in 33 games.
"I don't think I was necessarily at 100 percent... “It was kind of just sink or swim. You come back, you try and help the team win. Obviously, it was a tough year, guys coming in and out kind of nonstop throughout the whole season. So you know it wasn’t a perfect outcome."
After the season ended and the summer rolled around, Wilson finally felt back to full strength. His knee wasn't bothering him anymore, and there was no need to hold back any longer.
Then, it was go time. He headed north to Ontario to train with Matt Nichol and Paragenix Systems, where he got to train normally on and off the ice for the first time in over a year with 20-30 fellow NHLers.
I was back doing fun stuff and lifting weights and doing stuff on the track and all that. It felt good to be back... I think I probably work a little bit smarter in the gym. First couple of years, you just go in there and lift a house and try to be the strongest guy in the gym every day. Now, at this point in your career, you gotta be a little smarter. That being said, I still want to be the guy to lift the most."
Wilson topped off a productive summer with a seven-year extension he inked in August, and that, as well as being free of the injury that burdened him last year, took a lot of weight off his shoulders.
"My future will be here and I’ll be helping this team win games, and that’s all I really care about," Wilson said.
With camp in full swing now, Wilson said that his expectations are high and ultimately, more team-oriented.
"Every year, you want to be better. I'm not going to sit here and make certain goals for myself. I try and do whatever I can every night in that game to help the team win. That being said, our best players need to be our best players," Wilson said. "The leadership group has to lead the way, the veteran guys and there’ll be some young guys around and helping to chip in, but you gotta hold yourself accountable, and we’ve gotta be good."
While the 6-4, 220-pound winger recognizes that he has the opportunity to put up another All-Star caliber season and pick up where he left off, he is placing focus on helping the team return to the playoffs over his individual stat line.
That, at the end of the day, is what he believes will be the indicator of a successful season for him.
"We wanna go out there and win games. We created a winning culture and identity here for a long time. Last year wasn’t good enough, and I think each individual needs to do more and that’s including myself," Wilson said. "So we’ll be ready to go and each year is more responsibility to try and just trying to keep improving because it’s a tough league."