Tom Wilson linked to Canada's Olympic roster.

We have some big news to report on this Monday morning.

Outside of a few names we have yet to learn which players from the National Hockey League we can expect to see at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Earlier this year Team Canada announced that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Las Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo were the first 3 members of their team, but we may have just learned the identity of 2 more.

In a recent article published for the Toronto Star, NHL insider Chris Johnston revealed that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, who will serve as the head coach for Team Canada at the Olympics, has quietly begun reaching out to players in order to get familiarized with them. Specifically Johnston reports the calls have come due to the fact that Cooper will not have the benefit of a summer orientation camp, forcing the coach to resort to other methods.

The most interesting take away from Johnston's report however was the identity of the players contacted so far by Cooper. To no one's surprise Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was at the very top of the list. It was also no surprise to see former Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar on the list with many suspecting that the Avalanche defenseman would make the cut. The big surprise on the list however was the inclusion of Washington Capitals enforcer, Tom Wilson.

Wilson has been among the National Hockey League's most polarizing figures over the last several seasons and I suspect that will make his potential inclusion onto the roster a controversial decision. That being said there's no doubting the fact that Wilson is effective, both offensively and physically, and at times that can make him a difficult presence to handle on the ice. 

There are legitimate questions about how his hard nosed and hard hitting style would translate to the international game, but Wilson is off to another strong start this season. In 11 games for the Capitals he has collected 8 points (1 goal and 7 assists) and has racked up 16 penalty minutes already this season while boasting a plus minus rating of +7.