Taking the ice for your first season in the NHL is a daunting task for any rookie. Doing so and running into players like Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson is apparently another level of challenge altogether.
Anaheim Ducks rookie winger Beckett Sennecke recently listed a collision with Wilson as his “Welcome to the NHL” moment during a postgame interview on TNT. Wilson threw a season-high seven hits against the Ducks in a December 5 matchup, catching Sennecke at least once.
“A pinch me in the National Hockey League moment? A couple of heavy hits that the guys are pretty heavy, and you get winded, and you gotta go back to the bench, and you’re like struggling to breathe,” Sennecke said Wednesday. “Those are kinda the moments that I remember a little bit. I haven’t been killed yet, thankfully, but I’m sure it’s coming.”
When asked to list a few specific names, Sennecke identified Wilson and hulking Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
“I mean, Wilson’s a scary guy out there, I would say,” Sennecke said. “Zadorov, too. Those are just like mean people out there.”
Since entering the NHL as a full-time player during the 2013-14 campaign, only four players in the league have thrown more hits than Wilson, who has been credited with 2,610. No player comes near Wilson in penalty minutes, as his 1,591 are 516 more than the second-place Patrick Maroon (1,075).
Mixed among those PIMs are 95 major penalties, which is tied with Maroon for the most. Wilson also leads in misconducts with 31, seven more than Antoine Roussel and Zack Kassian.
Wilson is one of the Capitals’ most-used players, as he plays 19:23 of ice time per game across all strengths. While most of the other feared fighters and hitters around the league can be avoided just based on them sitting on the bench more often than not, Wilson is an inevitability when you’re lining up against the Caps.
Sennecke no longer must face Wilson’s wrath for the rest of the 2025-26 season as the Capitals and Ducks wrapped up their two-game season series last week. Wilson did not play in the Capitals’ 7-4 victory after suffering a lower-body injury against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 3.
The 19-year-old winger ranks second in rookie scoring with 35 points (15g, 20a) in 46 games. Sennecke was Anaheim’s first-round draft pick, number three overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft.
