The hockey world is exactly 195 days away from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, and Washington Capitals centerman Dylan Strome is adamant that Washington Capitals teammate Tom Wilson should be on Team Canada when the first puck is dropped.
“He’s a special player with a unique combination of talents,” Strome told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. “He deserves to be there.”
Wilson, 31, has never represented his home country at the senior level, but did help Canada earn gold medals at both the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in 2011. Strome, who has played alongside Wilson on Capitals’ top lines since 2022, believes the Ontario native is continually overlooked despite owning every trait Canada’s coaches would want on their roster.
“I watch him on a nightly basis and he’s the complete package, which is why I think he should be on that team,” Strome explained. “He’ll beat you any way you want. He’s intimidating out there, sure, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his offensive skills.”
Many thought Wilson would hear his name called to join Canada at the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-off this past season, especially when he was on a career-high pace for goals and points, but the call never came.
“Leading up to [4 Nations], obviously I was a little bummed not to be part of it,” Wilson told Zeisberger while at a charity golf tournament earlier in the week. “And then, leading up to it, I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll enjoy the break and not think too much about it.'”
Wilson recorded a career-high 65 points (33 goals, 32 assists) this past season, and he’s looking to build off that performance as the Olympics inch closer.
“Obviously, it’s a dream your whole life to be mentioned in that type of realm of the guys with that type of pedigree,” Wilson continued. “There’s a lot of really good superstar names, and just to be even in the mix is a huge privilege. I’m just going to try and play as well as I can up until the final team is announced and put my name in the hat.”
At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the medal podium was shockingly devoid of both Team Canada and Team USA. Both countries were only able to field teams with college players and non-NHLers, but that’s changing this cycle. The league is permitting its players to participate for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games and the 4 Nations competition, which Canada ultimately won in a dramatic overtime final, served as a warmup to the Milan competition in February.
“All I could think about is that I wished I was there. So much. So badly,” Wilson told NHL.com about his thoughts while watching the 4 Nations Face-off from home.
He found it especially tough to miss out on the epic brawls that broke out between Canada and the US just seconds into their round-robin matchup.
“The way that started, I mean, it just added to how much I wanted to be in that game, be part of the team,” Wilson lamented.
Wilson is the NHL’s active leader in penalty minutes (1,532), but he credits the talents and wisdom of Capitals teammates over his 12-year career for helping him develop from an enforcer into a key cog in the franchise’s offensive wheelhouse. A balanced skill set that could make him an attractive pick for Canada’s brass.
“Confidence is a big thing in our world, and seeing pucks go into the net definitely helps in that regard,” Wilson said. “Over my time in the NHL, I’ve been blessed with some great coaches and teammates that helped give me more responsibility on the ice in each passing year. And for me, I think the biggest thing was just trying to take advantage of that.
“I was going to do whatever it took to make the league. I wanted to play in the NHL, and whether that was fighting a tough guy on the other team or chipping in on the penalty kill, I just wanted to do whatever it took. And then, when you play with world-class players like [Alex] Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, TJ Oshie, Evgeny Kuznetsov, those guys helped me develop as a player and have helped me have a very cool run in my career.”
Team Canada is scheduled to hold an Olympic training camp in Calgary in August, and Wilson is widely expected to receive an invitation. It’ll be his first opportunity to impress the coaching staff, led by Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper, before the 2025-26 NHL season gets underway.
Canada announced the first six players named to its Olympic roster in June. The list includes forwards Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers), and defenseman Cale Makar (Avalanche).
