Decided advantage

Until Wilson chooses to leave for the pros, he gives Terriers the edge

Without the NHL draft to think about, sophomore Colin Wilson has flourished, leading Hockey East in scoring with 46 points. (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

Colin Wilson wasn't quite finished enjoying his status as the seventh overall selection in the NHL draft by the Nashville Predators last June when he began thinking about his immediate future.

The Boston University coaching staff felt strongly that Wilson should return for his sophomore season, and the Predators agreed. But that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of deliberation by the then-18-year-old center.

Wilson decided to return, and he's one of the major reasons the Terriers are the top-ranked team in the nation and the No. 1 seed in the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinals, which begin tonight as BU takes on No. 8 seed Maine at Agganis Arena.

"After the draft, it was a couple of days after, I thought that BU would be the best choice," said Wilson, who leads the conference in scoring (14-32 -46). "It took awhile to make my decision just because there was no need to rush it, nobody was really pressuring me, and so I just wanted to make sure it was the right decision. Obviously, it was a great decision. The team has been really good this year and being ranked No. 1 for a while, we've got a great team. We have a lot of key players with a lot of skill who all want to win and I think their best hockey is yet to come. Everyone is going to be playing a lot harder because the main goal is to win the national championship."

Wilson has strong hockey bloodlines. His father, Carey, played in the NHL for 10 seasons and his grandfather, Jerry, played briefly for the Montreal Canadiens and later became the Winnipeg Jets' team doctor. Coincidentally, Nashville assistant general manager Paul Fenton, a Springfield native and former BU player, played with Carey Wilson for part of one season with the Calgary Flames and has watched Colin grow into an impressive on-ice presence.

"I talk to him quite frequently," Fenton said of the 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound Wilson. "His maturity has come twofold as far as the way he approaches each game, the way he perceives himself as a top-line player now in Hockey East. It's a maturity thing, it's a comfort level. Our vision is for him to be a top power forward at the NHL level. His intensity, his approach to the game, his professionalism in the way that he trains both on and off the ice are beyond his years. He's played a great role for them to be ranked No. 1 this year."

Wilson, who wears No. 33, as did his father, feels the Terriers are far more hungry this season than they were a year ago, and it should serve them well in the postseason.

"I think we're a little bit more committed and everybody's a little bit more motivated to win the national championship at the same time," he said. "When you get into an atmosphere where I personally just have to worry about having a winning season, helping out the team, it's certainly a lot different than last year when I had to worry about making the [United States] world junior team and being in the draft. With the guys knowing, too, that I have pretty much just that one goal in mind of winning also helps them be a little bit more comfortable around me."

BU coach Jack Parker said Wilson, who was Hockey East's rookie of the year last season, has developed into a more consistent player.

"He's had some slips and some droughts in his effort, and therefore his scoring, but they weren't nearly as long as they were at some times last year," said Parker. "That consistency has paid off in terms of him being recognized as one of the best players in our league. There's a reason why we have a really good power play, and he's one of them. He does a good job killing penalties, but his forte is on the offensive end. The major difference between last year and this year is growing up. He's more mature. There's not as much pressure on him as there was last year as far as the draft and all that stuff. I think he's much more comfortable here this year."

Parker said no matter how many college seasons Wilson plays, he will be judged on the number of titles he helps the Terriers win.

"The players who are really considered great players at BU are not the guys who put up a lot of numbers, but the guys who put up a lot of numbers and won a championship," said Parker. "Chris Drury was a great player here but he won a national championship. He won Hockey East championships, he won something big in March and April. The same thing holds true for Mike Grier and Jack O'Callahan. The difference between Joe Sakic and Joe Thornton is Stanley Cups, not points.

"It remains to be seen what [Wilson] can do for us, and it's not just [Wilson's] job. It remains to be seen what this team can do for itself to become one of the best BU teams ever. If that's the case, then [Wilson] will be considered one of the best BU players ever."

Parker half-jokingly said earlier this season that BU fans had better enjoy watching Wilson play because he won't be here next season. Fenton said it's not a fait accompli that Wilson will turn pro after the Terriers conclude their postseason run.

"We've had a history of not rushing our guys and we believe that when they're playing in a good program and they're in a good situation, when we think it's going to help them both mentally and physically to be able to develop another year, our recommendation is always to err on the side of caution," said Fenton. "With us, there's no rush. With the new way the [collective bargaining agreement] is and with seven years of pro service before you lose these guys to free agency, our standpoint is we want them to come in and contribute when they're ready to contribute and not nurture them along so you have to baby-step them in order to have them be productive for your team. Each kid is an individual case but we want these kids coming in when they're ready."

Fenton said the Predators want Wilson to focus on BU and not worry about his future.

"We're just letting Colin play the rest of the year and see where it takes him," he said. "One of my good friends at BU has offered me money at times to leave him there for four years, but I don't think it's going to happen, that he'll be there for four years. Could he be there for three? That's a decision that his parents make and he'll make and his adviser [Neil Sheehy] makes. They're going to ask us for our opinion, and of course the BU people will have some say in there as well. No decision has been made as far as I'm concerned where he's going to be next year."

"I think they'll probably come at him pretty hard, and we'll have some input," said Parker. "I think he can verify whatever decision he makes. I think he'll be a really good NHL player. He wants to be, he's got the mentality for it. He's got the body for it and the head for it and he's got a lot of skill. He's a can't-miss NHL player."

Only not just yet. Because there is unfinished business.