The road to gold in Gothenburg, Sweden is just days away. Team Sweden has had their roster announced for quite some time now, and they are bringing a star-studded lineup to this year’s tournament. Sweden is looking to win gold in front of their home crowd, but it will not be an easy challenge with Team USA and Team Canada boasting talented rosters. The week-and-a-half-long tournament begins on Dec. 26, and it’s an annual tradition for many hockey fans around the world.
The roster consists of a few highly touted NHL-draft-eligible players and a lot of recently drafted players. Sweden’s recent struggles in the tournament, like being considered a favourite in the mid-to-late 2010s, to the present day where they are a team that might finish in the bronze medal round, have plagued them for years. This Swedish group will look to break from their past struggles and give their home crowd something they will talk about for many years to come.
This is the first time since 2014 that Sweden has hosted the tournament. They battled it out for gold against Team Finland, but they fell short and won silver in front of their home crowd. Sweden has struggled to find success since the 2014 tournament, winning one more silver medal and two bronze medals since then. The roster doesn’t have Leo Carlsson, but they do have some notable players like Elias Salomonsson, Axel Sandin Pellikka, Tom Willander, Otto Stenberg, Filip Bystedt, and Hugo Havelid. Sweden is highlighted by talented players, and it is up to them to perform to a gold medal standard this year.
Sweden’s Starter Havelid Looks To Raise His NHL Draft Stock
An interesting storyline for Team Sweden is their goaltending position. They have two NHL-drafted goaltenders on the roster, Melker Thelin and Kevin Reidler. Havelid is currently projected as their starting goaltender, but the other two rostered goalies, Thelin and Reidler, could surprise the team and outplay Havelid. When it comes to Havelid’s performance, he has found success at the international level previously. He had a great U18 performance a couple of years ago, posting a 4-1-0 record combined with a .929 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average.
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Where Havelid runs into some issues is his age, he is a year younger than both of the other goaltenders. This may not be an issue if he can continue to exceed expectations. While he has been passed up on before in the NHL Draft, a strong performance for Team Sweden at the 2024 WJC could help him make a strong case to hear his name called at this year’s draft.
Jets Prospect Salomonsson Could Lead Sweden’s Defense
Salomonsson will likely be one of Sweden’s most relied-upon defensemen in this year’s tournament. The 55th overall draft pick by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022 has spent his season loaned to Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) where he’s posted four points in 15 games. While he isn’t notorious for putting up points, he’s a strong two-way player who is effective at jumping between each zone.
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Salomonsson’s strongest attributes come from his shutdown defense capabilities where he excels at strategic decision-making and positioning. He’s always calm, never panics or makes a play that might negatively affect his team’s performance. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, the right-shot defenseman could be an invaluable piece in Sweden’s quest for a gold medal this year as he brings a wealth of experience.
Willander Provides Much-Needed Defensive Depth
Willander is likely going to find himself in a bottom-six defensive role with Team Sweden this year. This is simply because the depth that Sweden possesses is so strong that it will be difficult to get some of these players the minutes they deserve.
In Willander’s case, he’s confident and steady as a two-way defender, an attribute that Sweden has in abundance with defensemen this year. He works best in the offensive zone and maintains great situation awareness whenever he’s on the ice. Team Sweden will be able to use him effectively as he’s able to identify when to jump into the rush and lead an attack without putting his team in a bad spot. The 6-foot-1 defenseman adds size and a little bit of physicality to Sweden this year, something they will look to use in their favor to compete for a gold medal.
Sandin Pellikka Will Compete With Salomonsson For Top Defenseman
Another player that could steal the show for Sweden’s defense is Detroit Red Wings prospect Sandin Pellikka. The 17th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft could prove to be another scoring threat for Team Sweden. The only setback that he may face in the tournament is being a smaller defenseman with a lack of aggression. Otherwise, the 5-foot-10 defenseman is a dominant puck mover and is comfortable on the powerplay. What will work in Sweden’s favor is his ability to set anchor where the puck will rarely pass by.
What Sandin Pellikka lacks in size and physicality, he makes up for in strong two-way play, smart passes, great mobility, and a high hockey IQ. While he will most likely play on Team Sweden’s second pairing, don’t be surprised if he is promoted to a higher role in the tournament. The bread and butter of his game is his naturally dominant powerplay performances. Teams that are facing Sweden will certainly have to minimize the amount of powerplay opportunities that the Swedes receive.
Stenberg and Bystedt Could Be Sweden’s Top Scorers
Team Sweden has a really deep group all across the board. They own a lot of talented players, but the key to their success this year will come from the returning Bystedt and the scoring talent Stenberg. Bystedt played a major role in Sweden’s 2023 tournament where he posted 10 points in seven games. This point total was Sweden’s highest total of last year’s tournament. He will most likely be called upon yet again to help provide significant offense in Sweden’s hopes of securing a gold medal this year.
Stenberg steps into Sweden’s U20 WJC squad this year after being the captain of the U18 team last year. In seven games, he had 16 points and was named a top-three player on Team Sweden last year. Sweden is likely relying on him to have a similarly dominant performance in this year’s tournament. The 5-foot-11 forward is a ball of energy and he never shies away from an opportunity to put a defender out of position. His positioning is strong and effective, he seemingly reads a play or two ahead before they unfold. These talents will be a crucial asset for Sweden as they look to finish higher than fourth place this year.
