With no NHL players at this year’s Olympics, Team Sweden looked to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), and the National League (NL) to fill out their roster. Even though they will be missing star players like Victor Hedman, Gabriel Landeskog, and Elias Pettersson, Team Sweden has their eyes on a medal and hope their roster can put them on the podium for the first time since winning Silver in 2014. They will be in a tough spot having to face Finland, Slovakia, and Latvia as part of Group C, but based on their roster, they should be a favourite when it comes to winning the group.
Although Sweden only has one player under the age of 24, this is a very inexperienced group when it comes to Olympic play. In total, the team has combined for only 19 appearances. Despite the inexperience internationally, this group is ready to go on a run and hopes they will return home with the Gold for the first time since 2006.
Forwards
Marcus Krüger
Marcus Krüger has played over 500 games in the NHL and is expected to be a key contributor for Sweden at the Olympics. The two-time Stanley Cup Champions spent his nine-year NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes putting up 123 points in 520 games. He can now be found applying his trade in Switzerland with the ZSC Lions.
Krüger has played for Sweden at the World Juniors, World Championship, World Cup, and Olympics. He was part of the 2014 Silver medal team and has played the most Olympic games out of anyone on Sweden’s roster. Look for him to be a big part of Sweden’s special teams as he looks to add to his Olympic medal collection.
Pontus Holmberg
Pontus Holmberg is the youngest player named to Sweden’s roster and the only player with an NHL contract. The Maple Leaf’s sixth-round pick from 2018 is having a great year in the SHL with Växjö Lakers HC and will be relied upon to bring some offence throughout the tournament. So far this season, he has ten goals and 28 points in 33 games. He also leads the team in penalty minutes with 36 this season.
This won’t be Holmberg’s first time putting on a Team Sweden jersey. He participated in the 2019 World Juniors as well as the World Championship last season. He has shown he can score and produce at the league level; now it is time for him to show he can be a factor with the National team.
Joakim Nordström
Joakim Nordström played 444 NHL games before moving over to the KHL this past season. He had 75 points over an eight-season career with the Blackhawks, Hurricanes, Bruins, and Flames. Now, the former Stanley Cup Champion can be found playing for CSKA Moskva, where he has 14 points in 27 games this season.
Nordström is going to be a key depth piece for this Swedish team used mostly in a matchup role. He does have some experience playing for Team Sweden, having participated in World Juniors and World Championship, where he won Gold at both. He has a chance to be a real difference-maker on this Swedish team as he tries to go for the rare trifecta of World Junior Gold, World Championship Gold, and Olympic Gold.
Forward Roster
Daniel Brodin (HC Fribourg-Gottéron- NL), Mathias Bromé (HC Davos- NL), Jacob de la Rose (Färjestad BK- SHL), Dennis Everberg (Rögle BK- SHL), Max Friberg (Frölunda HC- SHL), Pontus Holmberg (Växjö Lakers HC- SHL), Linus Hultström (Metallurg Magnitogorsk- KHL), Linus Johansson (Färjestad BK- SHL), Carl Klinberg (EV Zug- NL), Marcus Krüger (ZSC Lions), Anton Langer (EV Zug- NL), Joakim Nordström (CSKA Moscva- KHL), Fredrik Olofsson (IK Oskarshamn- SHL), Jonathan Pudas (Skellefteå AIK- SHL), Gustav Rydahl (Färjestad BK- SHL), Lucas Wallmark (CSKA Moscva- KHL)
Related: 2022 Guide to the Men’s Olympic Tournament
Defence
Henrik Tömmernes
Most may not recognize the name Henrik Tömmernes, but he will play a massive role for Sweden during this year’s Olympics. The former seventh-round pick by the Canucks in 2011 has been lighting up the NL this past season and currently has 48 points in 39 games for Genève-Servette HC. Expect him to lead Sweden’s power play this season as he has become a setup machine the last few seasons.
Tömmernes was the captain of last year’s Swedish World Championship team, where he put up five points in seven games. Based on his experience and leadership qualities, it is likely he will wear a letter on his jersey for Team Sweden and be leaned upon heavily, especially on the power play. He will be looking for his first medal while playing for his country and will be one of the defencemen to watch this tournament as he is expected to be one of the best players at the games.
Oscar Fantenberg
Oscar Fantenberg had a short NHL career that saw him play 124 games over three seasons. Now, he can be found with the powerhouse KHL side SKA St. Petersburg. Mostly used as a shutdown defenceman, he currently has five points in 33 games this season.
Fantenberg’s main job with Team Sweden will be shutting down the opposition’s top players. One big advantage he will have is familiarity, as the Olympic tournament will feature many of the players he plays against in the KHL. He has never won a medal for Team Sweden, so he should be motivated to add one to his collection.
Defence Roster
Lukas Bengtsson (Dinamo Minsk- KHL), Emil Djuse (SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers- NL), Oscar Fantenberg (SKA St. Petersburg- KHL), Christian Folin (Frölunda HC- SHL), Erik Gustafsson (Luleå HF- SHL), Linus Hultström (Metallurg Magnitogorsk- KHL), Jonathan Pudas (Skellefteå AIK- SHL), Henrik Tömmernes (Genève-Servette HC- NL)
Goaltender
Lars Johansson
It looks as though 34-year-old Lars Johansson will be the starter when Sweden opens against Latvia. With SKA St. Petersberg, he is 20-9-2 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Over his KHL career, he has an astounding record of 91-25-4 with a 1.43 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage.
Outside of the Euro Hockey Tournament (EHT), Johansson does not have a long history of playing for Team Sweden. Regardless, based on his last few seasons in the KHL, he should have a strong tournament. As his career comes to a close, winning a Gold medal would put a feather in the cap of a long, successful career in Europe.
Goaltenders Roster
Magnus Hellberg (HK Sochi- KHL), Lars Johansson (SKA St. Petersberg- KHL), Adam Reideborn (CSKA Moskva- KHL)
Team Sweden By the Numbers
As mentioned, while many of these players did not spend a lot of time playing in North America, they have had a lot of experience on the world stage and have played together in those competitions.
NHL Experience: 13 players (Marcus Krüger, Joakim Nordström, Christian Folin, Jacob de la Rose, Anton Lander, Lucas Wallmark, Oscar Fantenberg, Erik Gustafsson, Dennis Everberg, Mathias Bromé, Carl Klingberg, Max Friberg, Magnus Hellberg)
AHL Experience: 18 Players (Marcus Krüger, Joakim Nordström, Christian Folin, Jacob de la Rose, Anton Lander, Lucas Wallmark, Oscar Fantenberg, Erik Gustafsson, Dennis Everberg, Mathias Bromé, Carl Klingberg, Max Friberg, Magnus Hellberg, Lukas Bengtsson, Emil Djuse, Lars Johansson, Fredrik Olofsson, Henrik Tömmernes)
Olympic Experience: 5 Players (Marcus Krüger, Anton Lander, Dennis Everberg, Erik Gustafsson, Carl Klingberg)
World Cup Of Hockey Experience: 1 Player (Marcus Krüger)
IIHF World Championship Experience: 14 Players (Marcus Krüger, Joakim Nordström, Jacob de la Rose, Anton Lander, Lucas Wallmark, Oscar Fantenberg, Dennis Everberg, Carl Klingberg, Max Friberg, Magnus Hellberg, Henrik Tömmernes, Jonathan Pudas, Adam Reideborn, Pontus Holmberg)
Sweden has a strong team that should be able to compete with anyone in this tournament. Yes, it hurts that there will be no NHL players, but overall, this team is built to succeed. This team has some speed, can play physical, and have players who know how to put the puck in the net. Nothing short of a medal will be expected for this group, with a Gold being not being out of the question.
