2026 Olympics: Early Team Sweden roster projections
Earlier this month, we kicked off our early 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic roster projections at Daily Faceoff. Our roster structures will mimic those of the Olympic squads: 22 skaters, three goaltenders. The national teams will submit their finalized editions by Dec. 31, 2025.
We began by breaking down Canada. Next up, we reviewed the top challenger, Team USA.
Today, we project Team Sweden, a group that absolutely has the talent and depth to challenge for gold, one that fell short at the 4 Nations Face-Off despite not losing a game in regulation. Helping me as the guest picker: my Swedish colleague Uffe Bodin.
FORWARDS (14) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Jesper Bratt | Elias Pettersson | William Nylander |
| Adrian Kempe | Mika Zibanejad | Filip Forsberg |
| Gabriel Landeskog | Joel Eriksson Ek | Lucas Raymond |
| Rickard Rakell | Leo Carlsson | Elias Lindholm |
| William Eklund | William Karlsson |
Canada won and the U.S. was a goal away, so there was less motivation to fix what wasn’t broke in projecting their rosters, but for a Sweden team looking to make up ground, it’s time to inject this lineup with some youth and upside. That means replacing veteran stalwarts like Gustav Nyquist and Viktor Arvidsson. It feels like Sweden doesn’t have a truly dominant No. 1 center, not unless Pettersson rediscovers himself, but this team is absolutely loaded on the wings. It feels good penciling Landeskog into this lineup now that he’s healthy after a knee injury kept him out of the sport for three years. Here’s hoping his body holds up long enough that he can go to Milan.
Biggest flex: Replacing the greybeards with the kids, no doubt. Eklund joins the fray. Carlsson made the 4 Nations team in a smaller role but, if he carries over his late-season breakout, he could be the team’s top center by February.
Toughest cut: Simon Holmstrom intrigues me as a late-blooming 2019 first-round pick who discovered his touch and bagged 20 goals last season. He can also kill penalties. I just didn’t have a player I wanted to cut over him. Maybe he makes my team when we do this again in the fall.
Also considered: Simon Holmstrom, Gustav Nyquist, Viktor Arvidsson, Mikael Backlund, Fabian Zetterlund, Alex Wennberg, Emil Heineman
FORWARDS (14) – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Jesper Bratt | Elias Pettersson | William Nylander |
| Adrian Kempe | Leo Carlsson | Lucas Raymond |
| Gabriel Landeskog | Joel Eriksson Ek | Filip Forsberg |
| Simon Holmström | William Karlsson | Elias Lindholm |
| William Eklund | Mika Zibanejad |
Having seen many of these players perform at both the 4 Nations and the World Championships, there are certain patterns that are concerning — the center position in particular. Zibanejad didn’t just have a poor season with the New York Rangers, he didn’t perform well in the yellow and blue jersey either. I actually came close to leaving him out of the mix.
In this lineup, I’m relying a lot on the hope that Elias Pettersson can have a big comeback season and that Carlsson breaks through for real with the Anaheim Ducks. If Zibanejad does find his way back to form, that would obviously help as well. But the general sense here is that the Swedes will have to rely heavily on their wingers to produce offense — especially Bratt, Nylander and Kempe, as Forsberg has had a tough time putting up points on the national team this past year. Landeskog is the big wild card, as it’s hard to predict what kind of player he’ll be in February next year.
Biggest flex: Carlsson and Raymond have looked really comfortable together when they’ve played for Team Sweden. They play a huge role in the future of Swedish hockey on the international stage, and it’s quite important that that future arrives soon — in terms of being able to produce in a best-on-best tournament.
Toughest cut: Veterans like Rickard Rakell and Mikael Backlund deserve to be mentioned, but I honestly thought much harder about Fabian Zetterlund and Emil Heineman — two guys who play hard and are a handful to face. I’m counting on both to have great seasons.
Also considered: Emil Heineman, Fabian Zetterlund, Rickard Rakell, Mikael Backlund, Marcus Johansson
DEFENSEMEN (8) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Victor Hedman | Jonas Brodin |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Rasmus Andersson |
| Gustav Forsling | Erik Karlsson |
| Mattias Ekholm | Hampus Lindholm |
The Swedes still have, at worst, the second-best blueline in the Olympic tourney, even if the group is getting long in the tooth. I mostly consider the top two pairs interchangeable; Dahlin could also play with Brodin and Hedman with Andersson. With Forsling and Karlsson forming a formidable third pair, this D-corps has a bit of everything – size, mobility, skill, experience and leadership.
Biggest flex: Ekholm may have alienated himself from roster contention – Uffe will elaborate on that below. But if cooler heads prevail, Ekholm is still worthy of a spot on this team. Getting Hampus Lindholm back is a big boost after he played his final game of the 2024-25 season in November due to injury.
Toughest cut: Ekholm did show signs of aging during the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff run last spring. I was tempted to give Simon Edvinsson his shot. He can do a lot of the same things Ekholm does well, but with fresher legs and greater all-around upside. I may flip-flop them depending on how each performs in the first couple months of the NHL season.
Also considered: Simon Edvinsson, Adam Larsson, Marcus Pettersson, Philip Broberg, Rasmus Sandin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
DEFENSEMEN (8) – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Rasmus Dahlin | Jonas Brodin |
| Victor Hedman | Rasmus Andersson |
| Gustav Forsling | Erik Karlsson |
| Hampus Lindholm | Adam Larsson |
It’s an aging blueline but still a pretty efficient group. Most of the guys here are 30 or well over 30. But the key cog will actually be the youngest one. I hereby declare that it’s time to hand the reins to Rasmus Dahlin. In past international tournaments, he has had to stand back in favor of Hedman and Karlsson. That hasn’t necessarily been the wrong decision, but if Sweden is to take another step forward, they need to give their top defenseman more responsibility. His growth as a player has largely been overshadowed by the Buffalo Sabres’ inability to deliver respectable results. If they find a way to be good enough to actually fight for a playoff spot, people will realize just how good Dahlin really is.
In Brodin, he could have a perfect, defensively sound partner who allows him to show more of his creative side. Hedman and Forsling would anchor the second and third pairings, while Lindholm and Larsson serve as two steady veterans who could be called upon if needed.
Biggest flex: If Brodin can give Dahlin free rein, imagine what Forsling could do for Karlsson. That pairing has a lot of potential in theory and would be very intriguing to see in reality. Karlsson’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins hasn’t been what anyone hoped for, but he has shown glimpses of brilliance with the national team over the past two seasons.
Toughest cut: It’s obviously Mattias Ekholm. And just to be clear, I’m not leaving him off the team due to poor play — it’s just that I don’t envision him getting the chance to play in the Olympics after his salty comments about the way he was handled during the 4 Nations. He was clearly unhappy about being a scratch for the final game (only to still get dressed with limited ice-time after a few players got sick), and I think that might be his undoing, unfortunately.
Also considered: Mattias Ekholm, Simon Edvinsson, Philip Broberg
GOALTENDERS (3) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Jacob Markstrom |
| Linus Ullmark |
| Filip Gustavsson |
Choosing this trio wasn’t difficult at all. They’re the Tre Kronor’s clear top options. But it’s very difficult to separate them from each other and pick a starter.
Biggest flex: Markstrom was injured and didn’t suit up for Sweden at the 4 Nations. He’s also the oldest of the group. But he has the most international experience of the three, so I’m giving him first crack at the No. 1 job.
Toughest cut: None. Samuel Ersson played at the 4 Nations as Markstrom’s replacement and helped Sweden to its lone win, but he had a terrible season overall with the Philadelphia Flyers. One good game doesn’t bump any of Sweden’s top three out. A couple years ago, I would’ve expected Minnesota Wild prospect Jesper Wallstedt to have played his way onto the roster bubble by now, but he’s not there yet.
Also considered: Samuel Ersson, Anton Forsberg
GOALTENDERS (3) – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Jacob Markström |
| Filip Gustavsson |
| Linus Ullmark |
1A, 1B and 1C? At this point, it’s pretty hard to say who’s who. All three goalies will have a chance to prove they should be number one. The 4 Nations didn’t give us much of an answer, as it was a goalie carousel due to injuries and illness — though Sam Ersson actually delivered the best performance against the Americans.
Markström was OK at the World Championship but didn’t bring his best in the semifinal, where Sweden was ousted by the U.S. The seasoned veteran might still be seen as the safest pick, but at this point in their careers, Gustavsson and Ullmark might have higher ceilings when it comes to stealing games at the NHL level. The competition between these three will be very interesting to follow during the first few months of the season.
Biggest flex: Having three established and widely respected NHL goalies is a luxury Sweden hasn’t enjoyed until the last few years. Even though it didn’t help them much at the 4 Nations, it should pay dividends at some point.
Toughest cut: Sam Ersson has posted better numbers on the international stage than any of the other guys. With a strong fall, he could very well make things more interesting here. But he needs to stay healthy and find more consistency in his game to truly challenge any of the three.
Also considered: Sam Ersson, Arvid Söderblom, Anton Forsberg
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