After a successful season with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, Wilkie was seen as one of the top upcoming defensive prospects for the 1992 NHL Entry Draft and was selected in the 1st round, 20th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens. The following season, Wilkie returned to the Blazers and made his international debut representing the United States in the 1993 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship (WJC). The 1993–94 season saw Wilkie split the year between the Blazers and Regina Pats while also returning to the WJC for 1994.