4 Nations Face-Off 2025: Early Team Sweden roster projections
This month, we’ve begun looking ahead to the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, in which the top NHL talents from Canada, USA, Sweden and Finland will compete in a eight-day tournament next February featuring a round-robin and a one-game final.
The rosters will be comprised of 20 skaters and three goalies. A year before the event begins, let’s project how each roster will look. The breakdowns so far:
Next up: Team Sweden. While the Canadians and Americans will carry favorite status, the Swedes and Finns will ice potent lineups fully capable of winning the tournament.
Here’s how colleagues Steven Ellis, Uffe Bodin and I envision the Tre Kronor lineup.
FORWARDS – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Filip Forsberg | Elias Pettersson | William Nylander |
| Adrian Kempe | Mika Zibanejad | Jesper Bratt |
| Lucas Raymond | Joel Eriksson Ek | Elias Lindholm |
| Mikael Backlund | William Karlsson | Jesper Fast |
| Leo Carlsson |
I love the versatility of my forward group. So many of these guys can play multiple positions, and so many play versatile two-way games. Pettersson and Nylander bring the major star power. Forsberg, Kempe and Zibanejad have the goal-scoring touch. Scoring won’t be easy against the likes of Eriksson Ek, Lindholm, Backlund, Karlsson and Fast.
Biggest flex: I’m projecting a fair amount on Carlsson, of course, leaving off more experienced NHLers such as Viktor Arvidsson and Rickard Rakell. But I’m fully confident Carlsson will grow into a dominant NHL player. He’s shown flashes already and I think he’ll improve enough over the next year that it won’t even be a tough decision to put him on this team.
Toughest cut: I’ve always been a fan of Arvidsson’s tenacious game in a small frame. It stung to leave him off, but he gets hurt so often that I fear his best hockey is long gone.
Also considered: Gabriel Landeskog, Gustav Nyquist, Rickard Rakell, Viktor Arvidsson, Nils Hoglander, Alexander Holtz, Andre Burakovsky, Pierre Engvall
FORWARDS – Steven Ellis’ picks
| Filip Forsberg | Elias Pettersson | Elias Lindholm |
| Jesper Bratt | Mika Zibanejad | William Nylander |
| Lucas Raymond | Joel Eriksson Ek | Gustav Nyquist |
| Adrian Kempe | William Karlsson | Leo Carlsson |
| Mikael Backlund |
The biggest question mark for me: how good will Carlsson be next season? He continues to take big strides with the Ducks after they landed him second overall last June. He’s got the skill to play just about anywhere in the lineup, and that could make things spicy for the Swedes.
Beyond that, it’s a good group. It helps that Nylander, Pettersson, Forsberg and Eriksson Ek are in the midst of career-best seasons, and the Swedes have as many goal-scoring options as we’ve seen from them in a best-on-best scenario. You can’t knock this group, that’s for sure.
Biggest flex: I was the only one to include Sweden’s ninth-highest-scoring forward this season, Nyquist. He can be up and down, but when he’s healthy, he can easily get 45+ points a season. He’s on pace for a career-best 65 points this season – throw him on your third line here and you’re thrilled.
Toughest cut: I get the argument to include Jesper Fast, for sure. But I feel like leaving Nyquist felt wrong to me. Fast fits the bottom-six role perfectly, but you need to maximize your scoring potential at a tournament like this – where Canada could be faced with throwing names like Connor Bedard and Mark Scheifele in the bottom six.
Also considered: Alexander Holtz, Jesper Fast, Rickard Rakell, Gabriel Landeskog
FORWARDS – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Filip Forsberg | Elias Pettersson | William Nylander |
| Jesper Bratt | Mika Zibanejad | Lucas Raymond |
| Adrian Kempe | William Karlsson | Elias Lindholm |
| Mikael Backlund | Joel Eriksson Ek | Jesper Fast |
| Leo Carlsson |
The top nine was pretty easy to distinguish. But getting the right mix of players together can be trickier. With Nicklas Bäckström out of the picture (?), Sweden might not have that bonafide playmaker. At the same time, there’s no lack of tools in this toolbox. Most players can both dish and finish – and a few of them are even worthy of Selke votes, so there’s a nice blend here. Carlsson might be the riser that turns everything upside down here. He has the potential to be the next Swedish superstar. And it could all come to fruition earlier than expected. That’s why I can’t keep him away.
Biggest flex: Fast isn’t by any means a household name, neither in the NHL nor in Swedish hockey circles. I still think his speed, tenacity, and defensive awareness fill a need on this Swedish roster. That’s why I picked him ahead of some more well-known players like Rickard Rakell and Marcus Johansson.
Toughest cut: Where will Gabriel Landeskog be in a year? That’s a huge question on so many levels, not only for the Avs. If he’s back playing anywhere close to where he was before the devastating knee injury, he’ll be a shoo-in and the natural choice for the Swedish captaincy. But after missing nearly two years of action, it’s hard to take anything for granted. Other than that, Rakell and a rejuvenated Nyquist were intriguing names for me. Arvidsson and André Burakovsky were victims of their bad luck with injuries these past seasons but shouldn’t be forgotten.
Also considered: Gabriel Landeskog, Rickard Rakell, Gustav Nyquist, Oskar Sundqvist, Viktor Arvidsson, André Burakovsky
DEFENSEMEN – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Rasmus Dahlin | Rasmus Andersson |
| Victor Hedman | Erik Karlsson |
| Mattias Ekholm | Hampus Lindholm |
| Gustav Forsling |
The last time I projected a best-on-best tourney, I had the future Hall of Fame Hedman-Karlsson duo as my top pair. While they’re still playing at a high level, I prefer to insulate them a bit and hand the heaviest minutes to a pair of studs in their primes: Dahlin and Andersson. They can do a bit of everything. Ekholm and Lindholm make for an ideal shutdown duo, and they’re my third pair? Yeah, this blueline is stacked.
Biggest flex: Nothing felt like a huge flex here aside from the “demotion” of Hedman and Karlsson to my second pair.
Toughest cut: It was tough to leave the defensive stalwart Jonas Brodin behind, but I like Forsling’s well-rounded game. Brodin brings less offense.
Also considered: Jonas Brodin, Marcus Pettersson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Adam Larsson
DEFENSEMEN – Steven Ellis’ picks
| Victor Hedman | Erik Karlsson |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Rasmus Andersson |
| Mattias Ekholm | Hampus Lindholm |
| Gustav Forsling |
I like this group, I really do. You’ve got the veterans in Hedman and Karlsson. You’ve got the future in Dahlin and Andersson. You’ve got size in Ekholm and Lindholm. You’ve got one of the top rising blueliners in the NHL in Forsling. What else would you want?
Biggest flex: Sure, they’ve fallen a bit. But would anyone want to go up against a top duo of Hedman and Karlsson?
Toughest cut: This group could have used another shutdown, minute-munching blueliner like Brodin. But with so much skill throughout the other teams’ bluelines, I wanted all the firepower I could get.
Also considered: Erik Gustafsson, Jonas Brodin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Marcus Pettersson, Adam Larsson
DEFENSEMEN – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Rasmus Dahlin | Gustav Forsling |
| Victor Hedman | Erik Karlsson |
| Mattias Ekholm | Hampus Lindholm |
| Rasmus Andersson |
Has the torch been passed now? Is Dahlin officially the best Swedish defenseman in the league? Hedman doesn’t seem like he’s giving up that spot for free, but in a year, Dahlin will likely be the go-to guy on the Swedish blueline. It’s not like he needs a security blanket, but Forsling’s defensive demeanor will at least allow him to roam offensively. Old pals Hedman and Karlsson would be intriguing to see together. Ekholm and Lindholm provide defensive stability and some edge to go with that. The lack of right-shooting defenders is an issue here. That’s why Andersson is a good choice to round things out.
Biggest flex: Forsling has come a long way in the past few years. After being a waiver claim for the Florida Panthers in 2021, he has become one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. That also means he’s one of the best Swedish defensemen in the league and someone who suddenly should be a given on this team. It’s funny how fast things change.
Toughest cut: To leave Brodin off this team feels weird. Really weird. The guy has had some injury problems every now and then but could be seen as the backbone of the Minnesota Wild D-corps. The thing is just that Sweden has a few of those guys at the moment. Ekholm and Lindholm, for example, present more of a physical presence than Brodin. Ironically, had he been a right-shooting defenseman, he would have been on my team. That’s how close it is.
Also considered: Jonas Brodin, Marcus Pettersson, Oliver Ekman Larsson, Adam Larsson
GOALTENDERS – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Linus Ullmark |
| Jacob Markstrom |
| Filip Gustavsson |
Ullmark isn’t quite the demigod he was during his Vezina Trophy campaign of 2022-23, but he’s still darn good, and Markstrom’s game is back on track following a down year, so Sweden’s top duo looks strong. Gustavsson’s game has regressed significantly after he was arguably the NHL’s second-best netminder last season. Which version is the real him?
Biggest flex: None. This hierarchy was pretty obvious and easy to lock in.
Toughest cut: Samuel Ersson has shown enough with the Philadelphia Flyers that he could push for the No. 3 spot next winter if he maintains his play. He’s at least on my radar.
Also considered: Samuel Ersson, Jesper Wallstedt, Anton Forsberg
GOALTENDERS – Steven Ellis’ picks
| Linus Ullmark |
| Jacob Markstrom |
| Filip Gustavsson |
You could roll a dice between Ullmark and Markstrom to pick the team’s No. 1 and you won’t be disappointed either way. Ullmark is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and he’s still a top goaltender in the NHL again this year. Markstrom has his down moments, but he has shown enough in the past few years that suggest he could be a top option with proper support in front of him. Goaltending won’t be a concern.
Biggest flex: Personally, I almost big-brained it and went with Jesper Wallstedt. So I probably gave him more interest than the other two here. Whether that’s a flex or not is up to you.
Toughest cut: Like the others, Ersson will earn some consideration. The Flyers’ goaltending situation looks a bit murkier with Carter Hart out of the picture, and it’s Ersson’s net to lose. Given the state of NHL goaltending, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a top 10 goalie next year – but he isn’t close yet.
Also considered: Samuel Ersson, Jesper Wallstedt, Anton Forsberg, Arvid Soderblom
GOALTENDERS – Uffe Bodin’s picks
| Jacob Markstrom |
| Linus Ullmark |
| Filip Gustavsson |
Where will Markström and Ullmark play next year? At the moment, it looks like neither goalie will be staying with their current team, and that will influence their game. Markström feels like No. 1 today given his experience and strong play of late, but that could change in an instant. Ullmark has proven what he’s capable of.
Biggest flex: No, there isn’t one. With Robin Lehner out and Sam Ersson still finding his way through the league, these are the three goalies, barring injury, Sweden will go with next year.
Toughest cut: Ersson at least deserves to be in the discussion. Considering the circumstances around the goalie situation in Philly, he looks like their number-one choice for the foreseeable future. Wallstedt is the dark horse here, but he needs more seasoning in the AHL and might be more of a name for the 2026 Olympics.
Also considered: Samuel Ersson, Jesper Wallstedt
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