Tom Wilson Joins Hershey Bears for Weekend Series

Courtesy: WHTM-TV abc27

It may only be for the weekend, but Bears fans will see the return of Tom Wilson to Hershey. Two seasons ago, Wilson came out of Junior hockey and jumped into the Hershey Bears playoff lineup, scoring a goal in three games.

After a playoff stint with the Caps, Wilson played all 82 games with Washington last year, but didn’t see much playing time during those games.

Now Wilson will return to Hershey, getting back in playing shape after undergoing ankle surgery for a fractured fibula. “The Caps are on a Western swing. I was a little hesitant on when I would be back,” said Wilson after practice on Wednesday.

“We decided it would be good to come down here and get some hard practices. Hopefully I’ll get better and jump in on Friday (at Bears game in Lehigh Valley.)

“There are hard working guys down here and the practices are hard. It’s good for my foot speed and battling. The guys want to win on Friday and I just want to help them out.”

Wilson is expected to play in two of the three games this weekend. The Bears will go for a fourth straight win on the road Friday at Lehigh Valley.

“We have to realize that he hasn’t played since last April,” said Bears Coach Troy Mann. “It will be a work in progress. We are going to try and get him 8-10 minutes on Friday night, with mostly 5-on-5 play. Hopefully he’ll react well and then we’ll decide if he plays Saturday or Sunday.”

“I have great memories from the last time I was here,” said the 20-year-old Wilson. “It was playoffs and unfortunately we got knocked out, but it was a great experience. The fans were awesome. It’s nice to be down here, hopefully for a short time.”