World Cup Of Hockey: Team Sweden Projected Roster

As the NHL preseason kicks off with rookie tournaments across the league, with training camps to follow, we look ahead to next September and the return of the World Cup of Hockey. The Swedish National Men’s Hockey Team will be one of the deepest at the tournament and unlike the other European countries, should be made up entirely of NHL players. Swedish players make up about 8% of all NHLers, more than double the percentage of any other European country, per quanthockey.com. The defending Olympic silver medalists will be hoping to go one step further than in Sochi in 2014 and they will have Swedish greats Daniel Alfredsson, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Mats Sundin as advisors to help choose the roster. This is what the team could look like, playing in Toronto next fall. Players are more or less listed based on their likely position on the team depth chart, though some of those choices are essentially a toss-up and many will move up and down more based on chemistry than skill. Note any ages listed are as of October 1st 2015.

[Update: this article was written with the assumption that rosters would be Olympic-sized (25 players). They will in fact have 23 players, so defenseman Jonas Brodin and forward Carl Hagelin should be considered bubble players as opposed to extra skaters.]

Goalies (3)

Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers—‘King Henrik’ is an absolute lock to be the starter for this team. He has extensive international experience and has been arguably the best goalie in the NHL over the last decade. He won a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender in 2011-12 and was on the Tournament All Star Team in Sochi.

Robin Lehner, Buffalo Sabres—After a trade from the goalie-heavy Ottawa Senators, Lehner will have a great opportunity to establish himself as a number goalie in Buffalo. A strong season (or even a decent one) will make him a likely choice, as a talented and youngish goalie in need of more international experience.

Eddie Lack, Carolina Hurricanes—Lack put up strong numbers playing half of the Canucks’ games this year and last. He should have a chance to play plenty of games again this year in Carolina. Neither he nor Lehner is likely to play much with Lundqvist there, anyways.

On the bubble—Anders Nilsson, and Jhonas Enroth.

Defensemen (8)

#Sweden's D will be unreal in 2016 World Cup of Hockey: Karlsson, Ekman-Larsson, Hedman & Klingberg to name a few...with Lundqvist in net.

— Pete Jensen (@NHLJensen) September 10, 2015

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators—The 25 year old reigning Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman in the NHL, who also won the award in the 2011-12 season, is considered the best offensive-defenseman in the game. After leading the Swedes in scoring in Sochi (tying Phil Kessel for the tournament lead), as well as being named the best defenseman in the tournament, Karlsson will be expected to help carry the team offense and quarterback the power play. As an NHL captain and one of Sweden's biggest stars, he will also be expected to take on a leadership role.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning—The Bolts' monster 6'6" defenseman is a lock for this team after outrageously having been left off the team for the Olympics. He will be a crucial player for the Swedes at this tournament and many others in future.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Arizona Coyotes—Along with Karlsson and Hedman, Ekman-Larsson leads a defense core rivaled only by that of Team Canada. The stud defenseman managed to lead his position in goals with 23 last season, with virtually no offensive support in Arizona.

Anton Stralman, Tampa Bay Lightning—An advanced stats darling, Stralman has begun to recieve more attention playing with Hedman in Tampa Bay. His possession numbers are excellent and he took over admirably while Hedman was injured early on. Whether he plays with his teammate in the top four or further down the depth chart, he's a good choice for the team.

Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks—As the top shut down guy in Chicago, Hjalmarsson will be a perfect complement to the more offensively minded defensemen on the roster (though they are also capable of defending). He should be a penalty-kill staple for the Swedes.

Hampus Lindholm, Anaheim Ducks—At only 21 years old, Hampus Lindholm is relied on heavily by the Ducks. An excellent top pairing defender with two post-season runs already under his belt, he is still improving.

John Klingberg, Dallas Stars—Klingberg's offense last season (40 points in 65 games) earned him Calder Trophy chatter and had Stars GM Jim Nill calling him the next Karlsson. That kind of production warrants him a place on the team and some time of the power play, despite his relative inexperience, provided he doesn't regress this season.

Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild—Brodin made this team over Niklas Kronwall after looking through possession statistics, where the veteran is last among Swedes in several categories. Kronall still has the upper hand to make the team as a veteran leader and a tough player, though perhaps embracing the youth would serve Sweden better in this case.

On the bubble—Kronwall, Alexander Edler, Adam Larsson, and Johnny Oduya.

Centers

Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals—Backstrom is a very skilled playmaker who led the NHL in assists last season. He was excellent for Sweden as the first line center in Sochi, before being forced to miss the final game because of his allergy medication, which should not be an issue for this NHL- and NHLPA-run event.

Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks—Though he and his twin aren't quite the force they once were, they still have the skill and leadership to be locks for the team. Henrik was a productive player last season, finishing tied for tenth in league scoring with 73 points.

Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings—The captain in Sochi before being sidelined by injury should be back playing a prominent role. He is comfortable at left wing as well as at center

Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa Senators—The former sixth overall pick has blossomed into the Senators 1B centre and a twenty-goal scorer. He has size, speed and skill, along with a willingness to play hard. He has the ability to play right wing and his offensive upside makes him more valuable than other options for the bottom six. Having Alfredsson, his former captain, advising on the roster certainly won't hurt his chances.

Elias Lindholm, Carolina Hurricanes—Elias Lindholm made this team ahead of players like Marcus Kruger and Mikhael Backlund because of offensive upside is much better. Though he doesn't have the penalty killing skills of those players, Team Canada in Sochi proved that choosing the best player is the right choice. He should be even better after another year of development.

On the bubble—Kruger, Backlund, and Patrik Berglund.

Left Wingers

Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues—Steen has long been an excellent two-way player, and shown more scoring ability the past couple of seasons. He has 126 points in 142 games the past two seasons.

Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks—Daniel out-produced Henrik last season, finishing eighth in league scoring. Expect to see him on his twin's flank as long as they are both healthy.

Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators—A rising star who generated plenty of Calder Trophy buzz last season, Forsberg is one of the young players who should be staples for Sweden internationally for many years. He'll be even better next after another year of NHL experience.

Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche—The youngest captain in league history is both a leader and a talented two-way player with a strong physical game. He should have a stronger year this season, with a better performance expected from teammates like Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene.

Carl Hagelin, Anaheim Ducks—Hagelin's speed and ability on the penalty kill make him a valuable extra foreward.

On the bubble—Andre Burakovsky.

Right Wingers

Gustav Nyquist, Detroit Red Wings—A goal-scorer and playmaker with both speed and skill, Nyquist should have a bigger role on this team than he did in Sochi. He had 27 goals last season.

Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins—Though he hasn't been as productive in Boston as he was in Dallas, Eriksson had good chemistry with Daniel Sedin at the Olympics and has always produced internationally (41 points in 46 games).

Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks—After a career-best 39 points in the regular season, Silfverberg exploded in the playoffs with 18 points in 16 games. He was also a shootout whiz, with nine goals in thirteen tries, a league-best mark. He has proved to have strong defensive play with the Ducks, as well.

Patrick Hornqvist, Pittsburgh Penguins—Hornqvist can score, play physically and is a shot-generating machine. He's also reliable defensively and can play up and down the lineup.

On the bubble—William Nylander (should he play some NHL games this season).

Exciting Potential Combinations

The most exciting part of this team is the defense. Every hockey fan should be hoping to see the most dynamic defensemen in the league, Ottawa's Erik Karlsson, play with either Ekman-Larsson, with whom he was magic in a few games in Sochi, or Hedman. Combinations like that are the best part of best-on-best tournaments like the World Cup.

friendly reminder to the #Sens: save oliver ekman-larsson from arizona and pair him with erik karlsson please and thank you

— 『 ary 』 (@carteciel) June 30, 2015