Josh Wilkins (born June 11, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center for HK Dukla Michalovce of the Slovak Extraliga (Slovak). He was an All-American for Providence.[1]

Josh Wilkins
Wilkins with Providence College in 2019
Born (1997-06-11) June 11, 1997 (age 27)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 194 lb (88 kg; 13 st 12 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Left
Slovak team
Former teams
HK Dukla Michalovce
Milwaukee Admirals
Tucson Roadrunners
Västerviks IK
HC Vita Hästen
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2016–present

Playing career

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Wilkins began his college career in 2016 with Providence. Straight away he began providing a good deal of scoring, finishing third on the team as a freshman. He held steady in his sophomore season but improved his performance in the postseason, scoring two game-winning goals in the Friars run to the Hockey East championship game. As a junior, Wilkins became one of the top scorers in the nation, finishing in the top 10. Wilkins then helped Providence reach the Frozen Four by scoring 4 goals in three postseason games.[2]

After his third season, Wilkins signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators.[3] Wilkins had a hard time finding his scoring touch as a professional, netting just 3 goals in his first full season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic he was limited to just 30 games the following season. Though his performance did improve slightly, it wasn't enough to earn him an extension and he headed to Sweden in 2021.

Following two seasons in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan, Wilkins returned to North America for the 2022–23 season, signing a contract with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on June 21, 2022.[4]

While a forward with the South Carolina Stingrays, he led the team in assists and points. He had 62 points in 62 games.

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Austin Bruins NAHL 54 11 16 27 20 13 3 3 6 6
2015–16 Sioux City Musketeers USHL 49 16 13 29 39
2016–17 Providence College HE 39 13 18 31 10
2017–18 Providence College HE 40 15 16 31 19
2018–19 Providence College HE 40 20 26 46 10
2019–20 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 56 3 12 15 22
2020–21 Florida Everblades ECHL 5 0 1 1 7
2020–21 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 25 3 2 5 0
2021–22 Vasterviks IK Allsv 18 2 3 5 6
2021–22 HC Vita Hasten Allsv 29 7 8 15 4
2022–23 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 62 21 41 62 29 5 1 2 3 15
2023–24 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 37 20 17 37 6
2023–24 HK Dukla Michalovce Slovak 9 5 2 7 6 11 3 3 6 6
AHL totals 81 6 14 20 22
Allsv totals 47 9 11 20 10

Personal life

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He resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his finance, Madeline Nelson. The two also have an American Leopard Hound, Bubba Gump Wilkins.

Awards and honors

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Award Year
All-Hockey East First Team 2018–19 [5]
AHCA East Second Team All-American 2018–19 [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  2. ^ "Providence Friars men's Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide". Providence Friars. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "Predators Sign Josh Wilkins to Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". Nashville Predators. April 18, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "Wilkins joins Stingrays". ECHL. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Hockey East Names 2018-19 All-Star Teams". hockeyeastonline.com. March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
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