Carter Wilkie is officially set to play his senior season at UND

GRAND FORKS — Carter Wilkie is officially headed to the University of North Dakota to play his senior hockey season.

The 6’2’’, 204 lb forward from Calgary, Alberta, had back-to-back 40-point seasons for the RIT Tigers and took over 1,000 faceoff draws, more than anyone else in the NCAA.

For Wilkie, playing his final season at UND was an easy decision.

“I was blown away,” Wilkie said in an online press conference when asked about seeing the Ralph Engelstad Arena. 

But Wilkie isn't coming to UND just for the facilities; he has one goal in mind: a national championship.

“They know how to win,” Wilkie said. “Adding a little more to the history is my goal. I want to bring back a national championship to North Dakota.”

North Dakota has won only one NCAA playoff game since winning the national title in 2016. The Fighting Hawks will be hungry to return to the tournament next season.

North Dakota’s best player, sophomore sensation and Hobey Baker Finalist Jackson Blake, who had 60 points this season, recently signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving a void that must be filled. Additionally, the departures of Riese Gaber, Hunter Johannes, Griffin Ness, and Carson Albrecht will leave plenty of points on the board.

Wilkie has had no issues getting on the scoreboard, but that was while he was playing in the Atlantic Hockey conference, a marginally weaker league compared to the NCHC. But Wilkie is not concerned about how his game will transfer into a stronger conference.

“I can still compete and translate my game just the same way I have here (at RIT),” Wilkie said. “Hopefully, I can just keep playing my style of game and not change too much. Just kind of keep playing my game and see what works and obviously make tweaks as it goes along.”

Wilkie’s playstyle will be very useful for UND. Not only is he a great scorer, but his solid defensive game has made him a strong two-way player. At times last season, UND struggled in the faceoff dot and would find themselves trapped in their zone. Adding a veteran player like Wilkie will help them clean up in the defensive zone.

“I am a 200-foot centerman. I like to take a lot of draws and faceoffs in those big moments, and I obviously like to score goals and help the team produce, but mainly, I am just looking forward to winning. That’s the best thing I want to bring in. Add to the culture and just keep on winning,” Wilkie said.

Wilkie will be an excellent addition to UND; he will be a player fans will get excited about.

Wilkie's career statistics                                                  GP    G    A    TP  PIM  =/-

2021-22         RIT (Rochester Inst. of Tech.) NCAA 38 13 17 30 37 4 |

2022-23 RIT (Rochester Inst. of Tech.) NCAA 39 14 26 40 78 9 |

2023-24 RIT (Rochester Inst. of Tech.) “A” NCAA 40 16 25 41 32 20 |