The World Junior Championship, aka the greatest time of year, is almost officially upon us. Team Sweden is the first to submit their final roster, just as they were for 2024. Their 2025 rendition has a whopping 19 (!!) players who have already been drafted by NHL squads. They haven’t won it all since 2012, but this roster will have a decent chance to finally take Tre Kronor all the way.
Goaltenders
Marcus Gidlof (Leksands IF), Melvin Strahl (Youngstown Phantoms), Melker Thelin (IF Bjorkloven)
It’s not too often that you see a goaltending trio from any country contain three NHL draftees. That’s what the Swedes are throwing out there this year. Melker Thelin (Utah Hockey Club) has gone 8-1-0 with a .906 save percentage (SV%) for IF Bjorkloven in the Hockey Allsvenskan. It should not surprise anyone if he were named the starter, as he’s the sole returnee from last year’s team. He went 1-1-0 with a .909 SV% then.
But Melvin Strahl (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Marcus Gidlof (New York Islanders) have also equally impressed. The former has an 11-4-0 record with a .915 SV% for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The latter is 4-3-0 with a .915 SV% for Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). You could make the argument that the Swedes are the deepest nation in between the pipes.
Defensemen
Rasmus Bergqvist (Skelleftea AIK), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Skelleftea AIK), Wilhelm Hallquisth (HV71), Axel Hurtig (Calgary Hitmen), Viggo Gustafsson (HV71 J20), Theo Lindstein (Brynas IF), Tom Willander (Boston University)
Six of the seven defensemen are drafted, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they’ll be a force. Axel Sandin-Pellikka was a first-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings, and has 19 points in 23 games for Skelleftea in the SHL. An elite offensive threat, he’ll likely quarterback their top power play, just as he did in last year’s tournament where he notched six points in seven games.
Theo Lindstein (St. Louis Blues) – also a first-round pick – led all defensemen in the tournament last year with eight points, yet plays a very responsible game and possesses an active and effective stick. Tom Willander (Vancouver Canucks) – you guessed it, another first-round pick – has been playing great hockey for Boston University with nine points in 14 games. The 6-foot-1 defenseman is considered a “nightmare to play against” according to Elite Prospects.
6-foot-2 Viggo Gustafsson (Nashville Predators) will help solidify their group as a calm and composed stay-at-home defenseman who rarely makes mistakes. Axel Hurtig (Calgary Flames) is even bigger at 6-foot-5, but brings close-to-zero offense. He can be trusted to help lock it down when playing with the lead. Rasmus Bergqvist (Montreal Canadiens) is another defensive defenseman who should play well on a nightly basis. Lastly, the undrafted Wilhelm Hallquisth has held his own for HV71 in the SHL, so if called upon, he shouldn’t have an issue against teenagers at this tournament.
Forwards
Zeb Forsfjall (Skelleftea AIK), Isac Hedqvist (Lulea HF), Linus Eriksson (Djurgardens IF), David Edstrom (Frolunda HC), Felix Unger Sorum (Chicago Wolves), Felix Nilsson (Rogle BK), Victor Eklund (Djurgardens IF), Dennis Altorn (Leksands IF), Herman Traff (HV71), Anton Wahlberg (Rochester Americans), Otto Stenberg (Malmo Redhawks), Jack Berglund (Farjestad BK), David Granberg (Lulea HF), Oskar Vuollet (Skelleftea AIK)
Just like the defensemen, this forward group is loaded with skill. 10 of the 14 are drafted, but the four who aren’t are playing well enough against professionals in the SHL, so there’s no weak link.
There’s some obvious elite talent in Otto Stenberg, Felix Unger Sorum, Victor Eklund and David Edstrom. Stenberg, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, had nine points in last year’s tournament and he’s only bigger, stronger and more developed now.
Related: Guide to the 2025 World Junior Championship
Unger Sorum (Carolina Hurricanes) played so well after being drafted that he earned a spot at the Men’s World Championship, making the roster over Vegas Golden Knights forward Alexander Holtz. He didn’t look out of place whatsoever, and some even thought he’d make the Hurricanes out of camp. He’s been developing in the American Hockey League (AHL) for now, and will have a chance to build upon his six points in seven games from last year.
Felix Unger Sorum to Scott Morrow🤢 pic.twitter.com/XobCVSSPxO
— Nick (@nickbutnot) December 1, 2024
Victor Eklund, brother of William on the San Jose Sharks, is projected to be drafted early in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He has 15 points in 21 games for Djurgardens, the same team his brother once played for. He has a higher point-per-game pace than his brother did with them, and his brother now has 23 points in 27 NHL games for the Sharks. It’ll be Victor’s first World Juniors and a huge chance to show off his talent to a global audience.
There’s a very noticeable omission as a 2025 projected first-round draft pick, Anton Frondell, was left off. He may even go as high as number two overall, but the Swedes are opting for Eklund to be their sole “young” key member as they rely on veteran 19-year-olds instead. We’ll see if that comes back to bite them.
Edstrom – another first-round pick – has already been dealt twice as a key piece in both the Tomas Hertl deal and the Yaroslav Askarov deal, now landing him in the Nashville Predators organization. He’s played very well for Frolunda in the SHL.
The rest of the lineup is filled with talent, primarily guys who are already playing professionally which puts them at a certain advantage in some facets compared to the US or Canada. There’s also a lot of versatility as six of their forwards can play multiple positions.
Oskar Vuollet (Hurricanes) has five points in eight games in U20 friendly competition this year. He could be a sneaky offensive contributor. Even guys who aren’t going to fill primary offensive roles for the team can still strike at any time. Take Herman Traff (New Jersey Devils) for example, who is 6-foot-5 and has eight points in 20 games between HV71 and Nybro Vikings IF. Linus Eriksson (Florida Panthers) is off to a slow start for Djurgardens but had seven points in seven games in last year’s U18 Worlds. The 6-foot-4 Jack Berglund (Philadelphia Flyers) is shifty for his size, yet loves to play on the inside and attack the net.
On paper, it’s pretty clear that Sweden is an absolute powerhouse for ice hockey. Look no further than their 4 Nations Face-Off roster if you need proof of that at the NHL level. The only real question here is if they’ll rise to the big moment. The Swedes have begun to develop a reputation for thriving in the preliminary rounds, but then faltering when it’s elimination time.
This group will be led by head coach Magnus Havelid, who has previously won two gold medals at the U18 Worlds. It’ll be his third straight year coaching at the World Juniors, so we’ll see if this is when he breaks through.
The Swedes will kickstart their tournament against Slovakia at 12 pm Eastern Time on Dec. 26. They will then continue the preliminary round with Kazakhstan, Switzerland and Czechia.
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