Wilkins was signed by the Boston Bruins as a teenager and came through their junior system where he was a teammate of Bobby Orr and Wayne Cashman with the Oshawa Generals. He was recalled from junior to make his NHL debut in 1966–67, playing a single game for the Bruins, and turned pro the following season. He would spend most of the next three seasons with the Oklahoma City Blazers, Boston\'s top minor-league affiliate, but found it difficult to crack an increasingly deep Bruin roster. He scored his first NHL goal in his only appearance during the 1968–69 season, and appeared in 6 games for the 1969–70 Bruin team which would ultimately win the Stanley Cup.\n', '

By the 1969–70 season, Wilkins was a dominant defender in the CHL with Oklahoma City, finishing the year with 52 points and 204 penalty minutes, and he would receive his big break when he was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. He started his Canuck career with a bang, scoring the team\'s first-ever goal (one of only five he scored all season) in their first game, against the Los Angeles Kings on October 9, 1970.\n', '

Wilkins would be one of Vancouver\'s top defenders for the first several years of the franchise\'s history. After a disappointing 1971–72 campaign, he bounced back in 1972–73 to record a career-high 11 goals and 28 points, and he was named the club\'s top defender. In 1973–74, he recorded three goals and 28 assists for 31 points, while continuing to provide his usual high level of hard-nosed defensive play.\n', '

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