Ladies and gentlemen, it might be early, but Team Sweden is not playing around this season as they cut straight to the point and released their complete 2024 World Junior Championship (WJC) 23-man roster, no cuts are needed. The event will be hosted in Gothenburg, Sweden this year, and it is the first time Sweden has been the host since 2014, so it makes sense that they would want to have everything set and ready to go as they attempt to win their first gold medal in over a decade.
Team Sweden is typically viewed as one of the perennial top teams in the tournament and has been deadly during bracket play, they have only managed to collect a trio of silver medal finishes in 2013, 2014, and 2018; and a pair of recent bronze medals in 2020 and 2022. Not bad, but considering the level of NHL talent that flows consistently from their country, it feels like they have been under-performing at this level.
Goaltenders
Kevin Reidler (Dubuque Fighting Saints), Melker Thelin (IF Björklöven), Hugo Hävelid (Djurgårdens IF)
In recent tournaments, Sweden has become known for having some elite talent in the net with the likes of Jesper Wallstedt, Calle Clang, and Carl Lindbom all helping to lock down the back end by producing numbers good enough to earn them honours at the end of the tournament. This year, the Swedes are bringing a brand new trio to the under-20 stage, and while they might be the biggest question mark on the roster, there is more than enough talent there to continue the trend of strong Swedish goaltending.
Hugo Hävelid is the de facto starter despite only being 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. Hävelid has had success at the International level before, including a very strong performance at the under-18 tournament a couple of years ago, where he went 4-1 with a .929 save percentage (SV%) and 2.41 goals against average (GAA). His numbers with Djurgårdens in the HockeyAllsvenskan are not at the top of the league, but he is one of just four goaltenders under 20 to play in the league and has a tendency to play best when the stakes are highest.
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Although Hävelid might be the predicted starter, don’t count out Arizona Coyotes 2023 fifth-rounder Melker Thelin as a potential competitor for that spot. He joins Hävelid as one of those four goaltenders under 20 to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan, but he is a year younger and has better numbers in his five games for Björklöven, where he has produced a .913 SV% and a 2.75 GAA. He has limited international experience but managed a shutout in his only game in the under-18’s last year.
Related: 2024 WJC Guide
Another fifth-rounder rounds out the group as Ottawa Senators prospect Kevin Reidler has been a workhorse for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Reidler has the second most games played in the league at 17, and has a .904 SV% and a 3.04 GAA. His lack of international experience will likely force him to really stand on his head if he wants to battle the starter position away from Hävelid or Thelin.
Defensemen
Elias Pettersson (Västerås IK), Elias Salomonsson (Skellefteå AIK), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Skellefteå AIK ), Mattias Hävelid (Linköping HC), Anton Johansson (Leksands IF), Jakob Norén (Mora IK), Tom Willander (Boston University)
Make no mistake about it, Team Sweden’s strength will be their defensive depth and could arguably be the best blueline in the tournament this year, even without Calle Odelius who was expected to be a returnee from last year but is out with a foot injury. The group is not built on a ton of size and physical play but rather relies on a ridiculous amount of skilled skaters, puck movers, and two-way abilities.
Those three themes start with the trio of returnees in Axel-Sandin Pellikka (Detroit Red Wings), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), and Jakob Norén. All three were mainstays on the roster last year, but it is Sandin-Pellikka’s offensive abilities that make him stand out amongst the rest. The 17th overall pick in 2023 has 12 points in 23 games with Skellefteå AIK this season and could be a deadly option for Sweden on the powerplay.
Those three are joined by a pair of 2022 second-rounders Mattias Hävelid (San Jose Sharks) and Elias Salomonsson (Winnipeg Jets) will make their first appearances at this year’s tournament; however, both players were only excluded last year due to injuries. Both of these right-shot defensemen build on that theme of having a strong two-way game with great skating and mobility.
The final two defensemen to make the cut are the eleventh overall pick in 2023, Tom Willander, who has already shown his abilities at Boston University this season, and Anton Johansson (Detroit Red Wings), who brings some size at 6-foot-4 and has been an integral part of Leksands defense in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as well as a big part of some international squads. Looking at the blueline as a whole it is just impressively deep to the point where it may be difficult to get some of these players the minutes they deserve.
Forwards
Fabian Wagner (Linköping HC), Isac Born (Frölunda HC), Noah Öslund (Växjö Lakers HC), David Edstom (Frölunda HC), Felix Unger Sörum (Leksands IF), Filip Bystedt (Linköping HC), Rasmus Rudslätt (AIK), Liam Öhgren (Färjestad BK), Zeb Forsfjäll (Skellefteå AIK), Anton Wahlberg (Malmö Redhawks), Jonathan Lekkerimäki (Örebro HK), Otto Stenberg (Frölunda HC), Oskar Pettersson (Rögle BK J20)
There is nowhere better to start with Team Sweden’s forwards than the trio of first-round picks that are Liam Öhgren (Minnesota Wild), Noah Öslund (Buffalo Sabres), and Jonathan Lekkerimäki (Vancouver Canucks). Known as the Djurgårdens trio these three have been playing together for years in both regular season and international play. They should easily be the top line for Sweden and have an innate chemistry with each other that is rarely seen at this level. Öslund and Lekkerimäki have had solid seasons with their respective clubs, while Öhgren is just returning from an injury that kept him benched up until a couple of weeks ago.
The three remaining returnees other than the top-line are Filip Bystedt (San Jose Sharks), Oskar Pettersson (Ottawa Senators), and Fabian Wagner (Winnipeg Jets). Bystedt will likely play a major role in their offensive production after leading the team in 2023 with 10 points in seven games, while Wagner had the second-highest point total of the returnees with six.
Otto Stenberg (St. Louis Blues), David Edstrom (Vegas Golden Knights), and Felix Unger Sörum (Carolina Hurricanes) comprised the top line for Team Sweden last year at the under-18 tournament and could utilize their chemistry similarly to the top line. Edstrom, selected 32nd overall, is a big two-way center that would be well-complimented by the smaller and more mobile pair of wingers in Stenberg and Unger Sörum.
The rest of the roster is filled out by Anton Wahlberg (Buffalo Sabres), Zeb Forsfjäll (Seattle Kraken), Rasmus Rudslätt, and Isac Born, but don’t take them being mentioned last as an indictment of their skills. Wahlberg is well-known for having smooth skating on top of his 6-foot-3 frame that he utilizes to win battles and open opportunities for line-mates. Forsfjäll is small but is fast and will likely be a critical penalty killer. He also had over a point per game in the under-18 tournament last season. Rudslätt or Born may be the odd man out to start, but are older at 19 years old, and sometimes that extra couple of years can make all the difference when it comes down to crunch time.
Sweden a Serious Medal Contender
One of the best things about the WJC is the sheer unpredictability that comes from putting together groups of highly skilled young players and placing them into intense situations while representing their country and fighting for that illustrious gold medal. Team Sweden might not have some of the star power that will be found on other rosters, but the sheer depth they possess on both offense and defense while also playing in front of their hometown crowd should frighten the rest of the field.
This roster is made to go the distance. Last year, Sweden had a very difficult time producing any sustainable amount of offence, instead trying to shut down opponents and rely on just a few players to score, winning games 1-0. This year any one of the forward lines or defensive pairs could be a game-changer on any given day. They might not out-shine the other countries with an abundance of highlight reel goals, but they can wear down their opposition just by being able to roll their lines and defensive pairings to produce consistent pressure with a confidence that most other teams just will not have.
