Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson will appeal his 20-game suspension to a neutral arbitrator on Wednesday, six days after NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the ban handed out by the Department of Player Safety.

Wilson received the suspension for his illegal check to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist in the Capitals' preseason finale on September 30.

Wilson has already served 10 games of the suspension - his fourth in the past 13 months - and Bettman said he hoped the 20 games would "serve as an appropriate ‘wake-up call’ to Mr. Wilson, causing him to reevaluate and make positive changes to his game.”

“I find that the twenty (20) game suspension assessed to Mr. Wilson on account of his illegal check to the head of Mr. Sundqvist is supported by clear and convincing evidence,” Bettman wrote in his 31-page decision. “Mr. Wilson’s recent play has threatened the safety and well-being of opposing players on too many occasions, despite prior discipline being assessed and despite the considerable efforts of DPS to counsel Mr. Wilson on how to play within the rules.”

Wilson's latest, and final, appeal will be heard by Shyam Das, who recently reduced the suspension of Nashville Predators forward Austin Watson for domestic violence abuse from 27 games down to 18, resulting in a stern rebuke from the NHL.

While Wilson will have served the majority of his suspension by the time Das rules, he will receive $63,000 back for each game the suspension is reduced by and could return to the Capitals sooner than Nov. 20.

Wilson, who carries a $5.17 million cap hit, currently stands to forfeit $1.26 million as a result of the suspension. Since he received a $5 million signing bonus on his new contract this summer, he currently stands to lose his entire 2017-18 base salary of $1.1 million. 

The 24-year-old told the Washington Post earlier this month he plans to change his game to avoid drawing the ire of the league office moving forward.

“I can talk a little bit more in depth once this is all over with, but yeah, for sure,” Wilson said. “The hitting aspect of the game is definitely changing a little bit, and I’ve got to be smart out there and I’ve got to play within the rules. And at the end of the day, no one wants to be in the situation that I’m in right now.

"I’ve got to change something because obviously it’s not good to be out and not helping your team.”