Adam Wilsby won’t play in a professional hockey game again until this fall. He can thank a season-ending upper-body injury for that fact.
But when he does eventually dress for the Nashville Predators once more, he’ll do so with a new two-year contract to his name, a deal Wilsby inked a few weeks back - and a contract that he more than earned.
Wilsby’s two-year agreement is a two-way deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level in the 2025-26 season before it turns to a one-way pact - also worth $775,000 - for the 2026-27 campaign.
Coming out of the 4-Nations Face-Off break, the 6-foot-1, 188-pound blueliner ranked fourth among Nashville defensemen in time-on-ice per game at just over 18 minutes per night, a number indicative of the trust he gained in a short time.
The rookie defenseman’s first NHL contest came the night before Thanksgiving after he was recalled from Milwaukee, and he’s never looked back. Wilsby became a mainstay on the Nashville blueline over the past three months, impressing with his speed and offensive instincts while also reading plays and defending against some of the League’s best.
Now, he knows where he’ll be for at least the next two seasons, and, as one might imagine, the young Swede is quite thrilled.
“It feels great,” Wilsby said soon after signing the deal. “I love being here, and I'm very proud and happy about this contract. I’m just very excited about the future and ready to put the workbooks on.”
Wilsby knows exactly how to do that considering the effort it took to simply get a single game in the NHL, let alone becoming a reliable blueliner just three months into his tenure with the Predators.
Nashville’s fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (101st overall), Wilsby first came to North America full-time to start the 2022-23 season with Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee following two full campaigns with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League.
The Stockholm native skated in 72 games with the Admirals that first season stateside, and then appeared in 61 more the following season with eight goals and 21 points to show for his efforts - plus 31 more outings in the playoffs across those first two campaigns.
However, as much as Wilsby enjoyed growing and developing with the Ads, the goal isn’t to stop one level short of the NHL.
“I guess just staying with it,” Wilsby said when asked what he’s most proud of over the past couple of years. “There’s been times when I've been doubting myself a little bit in Milwaukee, but I just trust the process and worked hard without getting [to the NHL] for a while. Now you finally get [rewarded for your hard work]. So, I feel very proud of myself for sticking with it, not giving up. I’m just very motivated to keep working hard and try to stay up here for as long as possible.”
Wilsby, who came to Predators training camp last fall with a one-year, two-way contract signed in July 2024, says he was curious to see how this current season would play out. Making a living in North America was perfectly enjoyable, but Wilsby also thought about his home country from time to time and what life might look like if things didn’t play out the way he hoped.
“I have my home in Sweden, and I wasn't sure where my career would go, so I felt like this was a little bit of a do-or-die year for me,” Wilsby said. “I had that mindset in the summer, and also coming to camp. So, that mindset probably helped me this summer, just being more on it, and I feel like the coaches probably saw that as well.”
Wilsby was impressive in training camp, but he didn’t make Nashville’s Opening Night roster, so back to Milwaukee he went. However, thanks to his strong showing in September, he was hopeful to get a chance at some point with the big club.
In November, the call finally came.
“I felt like I made a really good impression at training camp, so even if I was sent down, I knew that was kind of the plan from the beginning as well,” Wilsby said. “I knew that if I just stuck with it down there, the chance would come eventually, and then it came. I feel like I was ready for it, and I got it. I wasn't too nervous, I was mostly just excited and ready to make a good case to stay, so I feel like I played really well from the beginning.”
Wilsby credits Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor, as well as former Ads Assistant Coach Scott Ford, as the main influences in his development over the past few years to reach this point.
But just because Wilsby’s got 23 games of NHL experience now doesn’t mean he won’t have to earn his spot next season. He knows that to be true, and perhaps the silver lining of his season-ending injury? More time to study how to get even better.
“I feel like I've gotten into the group in a good way, and I’m pretty comfortable with all the guys and on the ice,” Wilsby said. “I feel like I've been playing better and better, and I'm learning stuff every day, but I'm far from done learning. I’m just trying to look at the top guys on our team, and also guys on other teams, just to learn and stay curious. I feel like that's the biggest thing. Just stay curious and know that you're far from the best.”
With that mindset, Wilsby likely won’t be needing to play in Sweden anytime soon. Instead, he’s found a home in Tennessee, and that’s just fine with him.
"I'm just very excited,” Wilsby said. “I love living in Nashville, I love playing here, and I feel like I fit in pretty well with the system here. I’m just very happy, very excited to keep playing here and work hard.”
