Trenton's Hometown Hero Soars for Metal Jackets

He’s a homegrown hero.

Born and raised in Trenton, 20-year old Jon Wilson, like most young boys in town, had a hockey stick in his hand as far back as he could remember.

“You know, I remember when I was really young my dad started taking me to hockey games,” Wilson said. “I was probably seven or eight years old. It was just about the time I started to play. We followed the team from that point on.”

Wilson took to hockey like a natural, and quickly his game evolved.

“I think what helped me was the fact that I played street hockey against older kids all the time,” Wilson said. “Looking back, it was a real privilege to be able to do that. I think my game developed a lot faster then other because of this.”

After countless hours working out, skating, and refining his game, Wilson joined the team at Trenton High School and quickly realized what it was like to be a part of such a storied tradition.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Wilson said. “The support was amazing, and every game was like a rock concert. It was wild. Just being a part of that was something else.”

Wilson’s skills, however, took him beyond a roster spot on the Trojans team. Instead, this talented forward earned a spot on the local Junior team—the .

“My senior year of high school I actually talked to some teams about moving away from home to play hockey,” he said. “Then I got a phone call one day and it was an invite to try out for the Metal Jackets. Now normally nothing really comes from these tryouts, but they explained to me that they were looking for players. It wasn’t just a fundraiser or publicity stunt or anything like that. So, I tried out and wound up making the team. I’ve been here ever since.”

Wilson just wrapped up his second season with the Jackets—a season that saw him play solid on both ends of the ice and one that saw the local standout tally 10 points on the season.

“We had a great start this year,” Wilson said of the team’s performance. “But we just let it slip away at the end of the season.”

Motor City finished the season 31-25 overall, good enough for 64 points, but not good enough to earn a sport in the postseason.

“It’s disappointing because we have the talent,” Wilson said. “This is such a great organization, and they’re really moving in the right direction. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”