| Carter Wilkie | RIT | NCAA | R | C | 6’2″ | 201 | RIT | 2021 | Calgary, AB | 2000 | 2023-2024: Free Agent |
NCAA: RIT vs UNH, November 24, 2023: Wilkie is a right shot center with a deep knee skating base and long powerful strides. He looks to have added another gear to top speed and his explosiveness out of a hard stop. In the offensive zone he always seemed to be planted at the top of the crease taking the goalie’s eyes away and he showed nice hand-eye coordination as he was able to get his stick on two shots that were headed wide of the net but his redirections led to the puck hitting the net. While cycling we like how he felt the pressure and would pass to the open teammate after the defender made their commitment to pressure him. The most obvious example of this occurred when he rolled up the mid-wall and found his point man after the UNH forward collapsed towards him. Wilkie finished -1 on the night and although it’s tough to say the goal was his fault he did fail to recognize that one of his defenseman had joined the rush and he was the trailing forward who needed to assume the defensive positioning. Instead he accelerated into the rush and when there was a grey area turnover Wilkie got trapped on the offensive side of the puck which allowed for a quick strike 2on1 with a backchecker. Again we can’t necessarily blame the goal on him but there is no doubt that NHL coaches will expect him to make the higher percentage read. On the night he totaled 23:37 in ice time including 7:23 on the power play and a team forward high 4:35 while shorthanded. He finished -1 with 0 points, 1 shot, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 8/29 on face-offs, 0 hits, received 2 hits, 3 giveaways and 3 takeaways.
NCAA: Arizona State vs RIT, January 20, 2023: Wilkie is a powerful right shot center who looked to go to the dirty areas whenever possible. On the power play he stood at the top of the crease literally directly in front of the opposing goaltender taking his eyes away. We loved how when a shot came towards the goal Wilkie did not bail, Instead he did whatever was necessary to take the goalie’s eyes away. He showed good core strength and balance while protecting the puck to extend offensive zone possession and we liked the game awareness he showed when he set picks or ran interference for his linemates. He finished with two assists. The first came after he intercepted a pass as the F1 on a neutral zone forecheck. After gaining control of the puck he attacked the right side of the crease and fired a perfect flat pass to his linemate in the high slot for the goal. His second assist came on the power play after he easily handled a hard wrap with his backhand and kept the play alive while a defender was charging at him. It was a secondary assist but without his clean handling of the puck it never happens. On the night he totaled 16:57 in ice time including a team high 2:43 on the power play and 1:55 while shorthanded. He finished +2 with 2 assists, 2 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 2 PIMs for roughing, 9/17 on face-offs, 1 hit, received 1 hit, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways and 2 takeaways.
NCAA: RIT vs Sacred Heart, November 11, 2022: Wilkie is a solidly built right shot center with a deep knee’d chest high skating posture. His strides are long finishing with a toe snap and his return leg lands on it’s flat edge at shoulder width which leads him to have an easy glide. During a offensive transition he showed the awareness to swing low and slow so his stick was always available to receive a pass, We liked his ability to handle bouncing passes while still maintaining his speed and the edge control he showed to make sharp lateral cuts immediately after receiving a pass as the defender stepped up on him. Wilkie was strong through contact often times bulldozing his way through his opponent. He finished the night with the primary assist on RIT’s first goal ninety seconds into the game. On the play he received a pass while swinging through the neutral zone and used his speed to attack the middle lane. He then recognized that the opposing right defender was stepping to him and he then kicked it wide to his right to his streaking right wing. His goal was an empty netter that came after sound net side defensive zone positioning. On the play he recognized his teammate was going to knock his opponent off stride and Wilkie then won the 50/50 puck to fire a full length snap shot into the open net. On the night he earned a forward team high 20:51 in total ice time including 1:09 on the power play and 1:18 on the penalty kill. He finished +2 with 1 goal, 1 primary assist, 1 shot, 7/15 on face-offs, 0 hits, received 1 hit, 6 giveaway and 5 takeaways.
BCHL: Penticton, Cranbrook, Vernon, West Kelowna, Salmon Arm, April 15, 2021: Sneaky and skilled forward that always ends up at the net. Plays with a grit that is hard to play against. Possess elusiveness to start and finish plays. Also a reliable player that can be counted on down a goal or up a goal. Grade: A-
BCHL Pre-Season: Penticton, West Kelowna, Surrey, Chilliwack, Alberni Valley, October 5, 2020: Great first three step agility and full ice speed. At times, defensemen found themselves turning around in the neutral zone trying to catch him. Took advantage of defenseman if they lost a step. Good size that stops at the front of the net. Grade: B+
CSSHL Midget Playoffs:, April 3, 2018: Carter was a bright spot on the IHA roster. He is a big, long, lanky forward with some upside. He has patience and creativity with the puck as he throws in delays and changes of pace on zone entry opening up space for him to make an intelligent play. His skating is long and smooth and he always has his head up. He has games played in the AJHL and he should be able to be a serviceable and productive player stepping into a junior lineup full time next season.
