Marcus Brännman Selected for Team Sweden for the WJC
December 7, 2022 – United States Hockey League (USHL) – Dubuque Fighting Saints News release
Dubuque, IA – Dubuque Fighting Saints goaltender Marcus Brännman has been selected to represent Team Sweden at the 2023 World Junior Championships (WJC) beginning later this month.
Brännman, who is in his first year with the Fighting Saints, leads Dubuque goaltenders with 10 starts (11 games) and has posted a 3.28 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. His five wins are tied for the team lead. The Bromma, Sweden native burst onto the scene early this season earning USHL Goaltender of the Week honors after posting 35 saves over the Des Moines Buccaneers in mid-October.
Brännman continues the success seen from Dubuque’s goalies in recent years. He will continue a stretch of now four straight seasons that the Saints have sent a goaltender to the WJC. He joins Philip Svedebäck, who was a reserve for Sweden last year, Lukas Parik (2020 and 2021) and Erik Portillo (2020).
Alongside Brännman, his compatriot Oliver Moberg has also been selected as a reserve for Team Sweden. Moberg, also in his first season in Dubuque, has seen the offensive side of his game blossom as of late. In his last nine games, Moberg has collected 11 points (3-8-11) and is now a point-per-game player in 15 appearances.
Moberg is currently second in the USHL in points by a European-born player, trailing only Madison’s Miko Matikka. Moberg was selected by the Fighting Saints in the 5th round of this past summer’s Phase II USHL draft.
Dubuque will also be represented on Team USA at this year’s WJC. USA Hockey announced yesterday that former Fighting Saint Kenny Connors has been named to Team USA’s preliminary roster. Connors, who spent two seasons in Dubuque, left this summer to join the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. While with Dubuque, Connors recorded 28 goals and 26 assists. He will compete with 31 other Americans to make the final Team USA roster for the tournament.
This year’s WJC will take place in two separate cities in Canada, Moncton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The games begin on December 26, 2022 and conclude with the gold medal game on January 5, 2023. Team USA and Team Sweden have medaled in five of the last seven tournaments.
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