The NHL announced recently that they aren’t able to host the much anticipated World Cup of Hockey in 2024. The event is now scheduled to be held in 2025 however there is still much uncertainty. With controversy surrounding Russia’s eligibility as well as the return of Team North America and Team Europe, there are still question marks. With that in mind, we do know that we will see the likes of Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic. These five hockey powers all have immense talent pools and in this series will project who we could see suit up for their respective nations.
Next up in the series, we have Team Sweden. The Swedes have a deep lineup filled with a mix of young skill and some veteran leadership. Sweden always projects to be a competitive team and this year is no different. They will be in tough to beat the likes of Canada and the USA but Team Sweden’s roster has a lineup that could upset the favorites. Let’s take a look at the lineup we could see suited up for them in 2025.
Projecting Team Sweden Roster
Forwards
G. Landeskog-E. Pettersson-F. Forsberg
L. Raymond-M. Zibanejad-W. Nylander
W. Eklund-E. Lindholm-J. Bratt
A. Kempe-J. Eriksson Ek-A. Burakovsky
HM’s: W. Karlsson, V. Arvidsson, R. Rakell, V. Olofsson, A. Holtz
Sweden has a strong forward group anchored by Elias Pettersson and Mika Zibanejad. There are many other familiar faces on this squad like Filip Forsberg, William Nylander, and Elias Lindholm. The Swedes also have a lot of up-and-coming talents such as Lucas Raymond and William Eklund. As far as the honorable mentions are concerned, all of them have a legitimate chance at cracking the Swedish bottom six. While Lindholm and Bratt should be locks to make the team, the rest of the bottom six forwards could be a toss-up. A lot of roster decisions will hinge on Eklund’s development.
Defense
V. Hedman-R. Andersson
R. Dahlin-E. Karlsson
H. Lindholm-G. Forsling
HM’s: J. Klingberg, O. Ekman-Larsson, S. Edvinsson, A. Boqvist, M. Petterson
On the defensive end, there are a lot of options for the Swedes. Led by two of the NHL’s top defensemen in Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin, the team will have a solid defensive core for the tournament. Alongside Hedman, Rasmus Andersson can form a great top shutdown pairing for the club. Rasmus Dahlin is paired with fellow offensive stud Erik Karlsson who is enjoying an exceptional resurgent season.
Finally, we have Hampus Lindholm and Gustav Forsling rounding out the d-core. Lindholm and Forslinga are having great seasons in their own right. Aging players like Klingberg and Ekman-Larsson could also end up on this list depending on how their game ages over the next three years. Some youngsters like Edvinsson and Boqvist could also find themselves on the team with some good developmental seasons. The 6″4 Edvinsson could be an intriguing addition to the backend, especially if Karlsson’s game falls off.
Goalies
J. Markstrom
L. Ullmark
HM’s R. Lehner, A. Forsberg, J. Wallstedt
In net is probably the weakest area for Team Sweden, although that isn’t to say they don’t have some solid netminders. Jacob Markstrom should be the starter for this club unless Linus Ullmark can take the reigns. However, both will be in their mid 30’s when this tournament begins. Robin Lehner could also be an intriguing option although he’s been plagued with injury troubles that won’t get easier with age. The Swedes could make a bold move and opt to give young phenom Jesper Wallstedt the nod as well. The Minnesota Wild first-rounder in 2021 is an intriguing option if he can find some NHL success over the next few seasons.
Team Sweden has always been a powerhouse nation and that isn’t changing anytime soon. They have a solid team up and down the lineup with a talented forward group and solid two-way defense corps. Although they lack the star power of Hockey Canada and Team USA, this Team Sweden roster could still easily surprise and take home the World Cup of Hockey.
Main photo:
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