Flames Ink Defenseman Ryan Wilson

[Thrillhouse]

Calgary, AB - Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter announced today the signing of free agent defenseman Ryan Wilson.

“Ryan is an undrafted player who has followed the same path as other defensemen like Mark Giordano and Richie Regehr”, said Sutter. “He is a Tom Webster (Flames Scout) recruited player. Tom has had success in identifying such players for our organization.”

Wilson, a native of Windsor, ON, led all OHL defensemen in scoring last season while playing for the Sarnia Sting netting seven goals and 64 assists for 71 points in 58 games.

It was the second consecutive season in which Wilson was the points leader amongst all OHL rearguards.

Over the past two seasons, Wilson has been Sarnia’s captain and was recognized as one of the OHL’s hardest hitting defencemen by the annual coach’s poll.

He was named to the 2006-07 Western OHL All-Star Team and has played in the playoffs all five years of his OHL career.

The 6’1”, 205 lb blue-liner has played internationally, capturing a U-17 world championship as a member of Team Ontario in 2004.

[OHLTG_Dave]

In case Flames fans want to know what they're getting:

Wilson is your typical "everything" defenceman. He's not great in any one area, but can do everything very well. He'll put the puck in the net, he'll play solid defence, and he'll drop the mitts, though not often unless needed. He was a five-year veteran in the OHL, I believe, and should be a nice fit in the Flames' system for years to come.

[caps05]

For him to lead the OHL in defenseman scoring two years in a row is quite an accomplishment.

[OHLTG_Dave]

We can't forget, though, that Sarnia had a very offensive squad the last couple of seasons, too.