2022 Olympic hockey teams men Sweden’s final list
Without any NHL players at this year’s Olympics, Team Sweden looked to the Continental Hockey League (KHL), Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and National League (NL) to fill in their playlist. Although they will lack star players such as Victor Hedman, Gabriel Landeskog and Elias Pettersson, Team Sweden has their eyes on a medal and hopes that they can take them to the podium for the first time since they won Silver in 2014. They will be in a tough place to have to face Finland, Slovakia and Latvia as part of Group C, but based on their roster, they should be a favorite when it comes to winning the group.
Despite the fact that Sweden only has one player under the age of 24, this is a very inexperienced group when it comes to Olympic games. In total, the team has only joined in 19 appearances. Despite their international experience, this group is ready to run and hopes to return home with the gold for the first time since 2006.
Forward
Marcus Krüger
Marcus Krüger has played over 500 games in the NHL and is expected to be an important contributor for Sweden in the Olympics. The two-time Stanley Cup champions spent their nine-year NHL careers with the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes with 123 points in 520 games. He can now be found when he changes Switzerland with ZSC Lions.
Krüger has played for Sweden at juniors, world championships, world cup and olympics. He was a part of Silver medal team 2014 and has played the most Olympic games by anyone on Sweden’s list. Make sure he becomes a big part of Sweden’s special team when he looks to add to his Olympic medal collection.
Pontus Holmberg
Pontus Holmberg is the youngest player in Sweden’s playlist and the only player with an NHL contract. Maple Leafs the sixth round from 2018 has a fantastic year in the SHL with Växjö Lakers HC and will be trusted to get some offense 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 will not be the first time Holmberg wears a Team Sweden shirt. He participated in the junior world 2019 and the world championship last season. He has shown that he can score goals and produce at league level; now it’s time for him to show that he can be a factor in the national team.
Joakim Nordström
Joakim Nordström played 444 NHL games before moving to the KHL last season. He had 75 points during an eight-season career with the Blackhawks, Hurricanes, Bruins and Flames. Now the former Stanley Cup champion can be found playing for CSKA Moscow, where he has 14 points in 27 matches this season.
Nordström will be an important deeper for this Swedish team that is mostly used in a matchup role. He has some experience of playing for Team Sweden, after participating in the junior and world championships where he won gold in both. He has a chance to make a real difference in this Swedish team when he tries to bet on the rare trifets such as junior WC, WC gold and Olympic gold.
Forward Roster
Daniel Brodin (HC Friborg-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
Defense
Henrik Tömernes
Most people may not recognize the name Henrik Tömmernes, but he will play a massive role for Sweden during this year’s Olympics. The previous selection in the seventh round of the Canucks 2011 has lit up NL last season and currently has 48 points in 39 games for Geneva-Servette HC. Expect him to lead Sweden’s powerplay this season as he has become a setup machine in recent seasons.
Tömmernes was captain last year’s Swedish World Cup team, where he scored five points in seven games. Based on his experience and leadership qualities, it is likely that he will wear a letter on his shirt for Team Sweden and to be strongly leaning towards, especially on the power game. He will be looking for his first medal while playing for his country and will be one of the defenders who will see this tournament as he is expected to be one of the best players at the matches.
Oscar Fantenberg
Oscar Fantenberg had a brief NHL career that saw him play 124 games in three seasons. Now he can be found at the KHL power package SKA St Petersburg. Mostly used as a suspension defender, he currently has five points in 33 games this season.
Fantenberg’s main job with Team Sweden will be to turn off the opposition’s top players. A big advantage he will have is familiarity, as the Olympic tournament will include 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.
Defense list
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)
Goalkeeper
Lars Johansson
It looks like 34-year-old Lars Johansson will be the starting shot when Sweden opens against Latvia. With SKA St. Petersberg is 20-9-2 with 1.63 goals against the average and a save percentage of 0.932. During his KHL career, he has an astonishing record of 91-25-4 with 1.43 goals against the average and a save percentage of 0.936.
Outside of the Euro Hockey Tournament (EHT), Johansson does not have a long history of playing for Team Sweden. Regardless, based on his recent seasons in the KHL, he should have a strong tournament. As his career draws to a close, winning a gold medal would put a feather in his cap for a long, successful career in Europe.
Goalkeeper list
Magnus Hellberg (HK Sochi- KHL), Lars Johansson (SKA St. Petersberg- KHL), Adam Reideborn (CSKA Moskva- KHL)
Team Sweden By the Numbers
As mentioned, although many of these players did not spend much time playing in North America, they have had a lot of experience on the world stage and have played together in these 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 physically and has players who know how to put the puck in the net. Nothing lack of medal will be expected for this group, with a gold that is not excluded.
Adam is excited to join The Hockey Writers as part of the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks team. His work is also on https://www.area51sportsnetwork.com/ where he covers the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League.