Wilson will weigh the pros

He could always return to Terriers

Colin Wilson finished his freshman season at BU with 35 points, earning conference Rookie of the Year honors. (FILE/Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

Boston University coach Jack Parker has seen more than his share of underclassmen leave the college hockey ranks for the limelight and riches of the National Hockey League.

Medford native Keith Tkachuk departing in 1991 after one season with the Terriers, and Tony Amonte of Hingham leaving BU the same year, after his sophomore season, are two examples that come to his mind.

But because of the NHL's entry-level contract structure, which limits how much teams can spend to lure players from college, many prospects stay in school longer than they might have otherwise.

After tonight, depending on selections in the first round of the NHL draft in Ottawa, Parker will soon know whether center Colin Wilson will return to BU after an impressive freshman campaign.

Wilson, who was the Hockey East Rookie of the Year, is ranked 10th among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau and fifth among North American forwards.

Parker's philosophy is that if Wilson can make the jump to the NHL, it's a win-win situation.

"My advice is always exactly the same," said Parker. "I know exactly when you should leave BU, when you can leave and go to the NHL. If you're leaving to go play minor league hockey, that's a bad idea. The problem is, with the new collective bargaining agreement, they don't have to pay much money to get these guys out of school. In the old days, they'd have to pay a lot of money to get Colin Wilson to leave as a freshman. Those days are long gone. Most of our guys who have left have left at a time when they didn't have to play minor league hockey. I always tell people, 'When you go to the minor leagues, 10 things can happen and nine of them are bad.' The last thing you want to be labeled is a minor leaguer.

"When Tony Amonte leaves at the end of his sophomore year, it hurt a little bit, but at the same time it's good for our program. Tony Amonte becomes a star in the NHL and almost wins Rookie of the Year and that has people talking about BU hockey. If [Wilson] becomes an NHLer next year, that's good with me. That's great for both of us. But it's not good for Colin Wilson if he's going to kick around the minor leagues."

Wilson had 12 goals and 23 assists in 37 games with the Terriers last season. Playing for the United States at the 2008 world junior championship, Wilson tied for the team lead with six goals. At 18, he's a strapping 6 feet 1 inch, 215 pounds. He got off to a slow start at BU because he was distracted by his draft positioning. But the world juniors put an end to that.

"At the beginning, I felt like I had to make sure I put up numbers or I might not be drafted high," said Wilson. "Being able to go to world juniors and put up the numbers there really relaxed me and calmed me. [The BU season] definitely could have gone better. I could have scored more and made more plays. We didn't make it as far as we wanted to. It could definitely be considered a disappointing season for Boston University, not to be in the NCAAs."

Wilson, the son of former NHL player Carey Wilson, said other than his father, coach Ron Rolston of the National Team Development Program had the most impact on his game.

"As soon as I got there, he really turned me into an all-around hockey player," said Wilson. "He told me to do things I hadn't even thought about before. He wouldn't play me if I didn't play defense and he developed my skill level a lot, too.

"It's an exciting time and I'm looking forward to it," Wilson added. "Right now, I don't know what I'm doing. There are quite a few options I'm going to have to discuss with the team [that drafts him]. I'm either going to be playing pro hockey or I'm going to be playing college hockey, so I know no matter whatever decision I make, I'll be playing good hockey."

Parker, meanwhile, will wait to see what happens with Wilson.

"It really will revolve around what the team that drafts him says to him," said Parker. "If they think he can play in the NHL next year, I'm sure he will leave. If he's going to play minor league hockey, I know he'll come back. They might even tell him to go back. They might say, 'We love you but we need you to go back for a year or two.' He certainly is a great prospect and he certainly will go very high. He's gotten the added attraction of being big and strong and he's already proven he can play at a level that junior kids don't play at.

"It's a mixed situation, but if he makes the right decision, it will be good for both of us. If he makes the wrong decision, it will be bad for both of us. I've never, ever heard anybody say, 'He didn't make it because he left too late.' I've heard a lot of people say, 'He left too early, he wasn't ready.' I know he's a very talented kid and a very determined kid. He wants to be in the NHL, there's no question about that."

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com.