NHL: The meteoric rise of the multi-tooled enforcer

The advancement of speed and skill in the NHL today has altered the roles of given players, specifically the ones we deem as enforcers.

In past years, NHL enforcers like Donald Brashear, Tie Domi, George Parros (ironically the head of Player Safety), and John Scott all were equipped by teams to protect their star players. Their job was not to score, not to pass, but to make sure nothing happened to their highly- touted teammates. If someone dare lay the body on them, the gloves would be dropped, in hopes of kicking the crud out of the opposition, which created momentum to help win hockey games.

But the game has changed and so has the role of enforcers. It is no longer good enough to just be a goon anymore. And players are aware of that and have altered the style in which they play, which we are seeing in today’s NHL.

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These multi-tooled enforcers are becoming a must-have for general managers.

Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals is at the top of the list when discussing this change in style. This 6’4″, 210-pound winger was taken 16th overall back in the 2012 NHL Draft, and has played better than anticipated.

Wilson is a guy known around the league for playing ‘dirty’ while he seems to get the short end of the stick more often than not from George Parros of NHL Player Safety. But his role in the NHL is way much more than an enforcer and heavy hitter.

He has evolved into an offensive weapon, which has earned him ice minutes alongside Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetzov, on the Capitals’ top line. This season in 66 games, Wilson has scored 21 goals, while registering 23 assists, averaging 18:16 minutes per game.

But his offensive production has not taken away from his physical ability and his ability to stand up for his teammates. The 26-year old has recorded 253 hits this season, which puts him third in the NHL, behind Brady Tkachuk and Ryan Reaves.

Wilson has dropped the gloves eleven times this season, resulting in 55 penalties minutes. A fun fact on this is that Wilson has recorded a career-low in penalty minutes this season, with just 93.

His role stereotypically would lead to a multitude of penalties, and while again he racks up suspension and fines, this player is not a liability on the ice, offensively or defensively. To go with those numbers, Wilson has also set a career-high in blocks with 58, as he seems to do everything for his team on a nightly basis.

Back in the summer of 2018, Wilson was rewarded for his efforts with a six-year, $31 million dollar deal, averaging out to $5.17 million annually. He is the new prototype of enforcers in the NHL.