The NHL will pause for a few weeks in February when players head to Milan, Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Every player in the league hopes to represent their country when the league returns to best-on-best international competition. This includes Washington Capitals star Tom Wilson.
Wilson has made an impact for the Capitals in a few different ways. He has scored some big-time goals while also getting in the heads of his opponents. However, he has yet to achieve one of his lifelong dreams as a hockey player: represent Canada on the international stage.
Canada won the 2025 4 Nations Faceoff tournament back in February. Unfortunately, Wilson did not make the Canadian roster for that event. He watched the rivalry between Canada and the United States unfold with the rest of the world. Watching these games has made him hungry to make the 2026 Winter Olympic roster.
“All I could think about,” Wilson told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger, “is that I wished I was (at the 4 Nations). So much. So badly.”
“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 (for the Olympics) 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.”
Tom Wilson Could Make Major Difference For Canada
Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesWashington Capitals star Tom Wilson hopes he can make Team Canada’s roster at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Wilson does possess skill on the ice. He can contribute well offensively, and he’s not a liability on defense, either. What sets Wilson apart, though, is his physicality. And there’s one important difference between 4 Nations and the Olympics that could make his physical style of play standout even more.
The 4 Nations tournament was an NHL sanctioned event. As a result, the games were played on NHL regulation surfaces. Games were held in TD Garden and the Bell Centre, the homes of the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, respectively.
The Olympics, sanctioned by the International Ice Hockey Federation, are usually played on a larger ice surface. This year, though, it will be played on a NHL regulation rink. This could give players like Wilson, who are more accustomed to the smaller ice surface, a major advantage. His abilities in the dirtier areas of the game could certainly come in handy for Canada.
Capitals Star Hopes to Buld Off Career Year
One thing that would certainly help Wilson’s case is if his offense remained at a high level. In 2024-25, he reached offensive highs that he had never achieved in his career. The Capitals star scored 33 goals and 65 points for Washington.
He has evolved from an enforcer who could break an opponent through mind games. Now, Wilson is a power forward with the ability to crush an opponent and create a scoring chance out of it. This is a skill set that some players do not posses, but it’s a skills set his teammates believe should get him to Milan in 2026.
“He’s a special player with a unique combination of talents,” Capitals teammate Dylan Strome said, via Zeisberger. “He deserves to be there.”
Capitals Enforcer Details Dream of Playing at 2026 Olympics