Winnipeg Jets prospect Elias Salomonsson receives one-game suspension from World Junior Championship

The IIHF has announced that Swedish defenseman Elias Salomonsson has been given a one-game suspension for his hit from behind on Latvia’s Emils Veckatkins on Tuesday.

Salomonsson, a Winnipeg Jets prospect, was given five minutes and a game misconduct for the play after just 25 seconds of action.

According to the IIHF, the tournament’s disciplinary panel determined that Salomonsson “pushed the shaft of his stick” into the back of Veckatkins, putting him in a dangerous spot.

25 seconds into Sweden vs. Latvia, Elias Salomonsson delivers a big hit from behind. #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/xNMldvIxSQ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 26, 2023

Salomonsson will miss Sweden’s game against Germany on Thursday but can return Friday against Canada. Sweden went on to beat Latvia 6-0 in their tournament debut on home ice.

This is Salomonsson’s first World Junior Championship with Sweden. He’s no stranger to the national team, having represented them at the 2021 and 2022 U-18 World Championships, among other events. he was one of Sweden’s better defensemen at the World Junior Summer Showcase, which helped him cement a spot on the team for this event.

Salomonsson is known for playing with an edge. In 15 SHL games with Skelleftea this year, he’s already up to 29 penalty minutes, the same number he accumulated at the 2022 U-18 World Championship.

Drafted 55th overall by the Jets in 2022, Salomonsson signed his NHL entry-level contract with the club just a month later.