Team Sweden 2025 World Cup Roster Projection
The NHL recently announced that they cannot accommodate the long-awaited World Cup in hockey 2024. The event is now scheduled to be held in 2025 but 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 know we’ll be seeing the likes of Canada, the US, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic. These five hockey powers all have huge talent pools and in this series will project who we can see fit for their respective nations.
Closest 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 plans to be a competitive team and this year is no different. They will have a hard time beating Canada and the USA but Team Sweden’s lineup has a lineup that can upset the favorites. Let’s take a look at the range we could see suitable for them in 2025.
Projecting Team Sweden Roster
Forward
G. Landeskog-E. Pettersson-F. Forsberg
L. Raymond-M. Zibanejad-W. Nylander
W. Eklund-E. Lindholm-J. Steep
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 in this team that Philip Forsberg, William Nylanderand Elias Lindholm. The Swedes also have a lot of up-and-coming talent, such as Lucas Raymond and William Eklund. When it comes to the honorable mentions, everyone has a legitimate chance to beat 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. Many decisions in the list will depend on Eklund’s development.
Defense
V. Hedman-R. Andersson
R. Dahlin-E. Karlsson
H. Lindholm-G. Cartage
HM’s: J. Klingberg, O. Ekman-Larsson, S. Edvinsson, A. Boqvist, M. Petterson
On the defensive side, there are many options for the Swedes. Led by two of the NHL’s best 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 good top suspension for the club. Rasmus Dahlin is paired with other offensive studs Erik Karlsson who are enjoying an exceptional revived season.
Finally we have Hampus Lindholm and Gustav Forsling rounds of the d core. Lindholm and Forslinga make fine seasons in their own right. Aging players like Klingberg and Ekman-Larsson could also end up on this list depending on how their games age over the next three years. Some youngsters like Edvinsson and Boqvist could also find themselves in the team with a few good development seasons. 6″4 Edvinsson could be an exciting addition to the backend, especially if Karlsson’s game falls off.
Goalkeepers
J. Markström
L. Ullmark
HM’s R. Lehner, A. Forsberg, J. Wallstedt
In net is probably Team Sweden’s weakest area, although that’s not to say they don’t have some solid netminders. Jacob Markström should be the starting point for this club if not Linus Ullmark can take power. However, both will be in their mid-30s when this tournament begins. Robin Lehner could also be an intriguing option even if he has been plagued by injury problems it doesn’t get easier with age. The Swedes could make a bold move and choose to give the young phenomenon Jesper Wallstedt the nod as well. The Minnesota Wild The 2021 first-rounder is an intriguing option if he can find some NHL success in the coming seasons.
Team Sweden has always been a powerhouse nation and that won’t change 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.
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