Rasmus Dahlin highlights Swedish squad looking to end medal drought
For the last three tournaments, Sweden has gone undefeated in the group stage only to come up short come playoff time. They haven’t won a medal since losing to Finland in the gold medal game in 2014, their longest streak without success since the mid-2000s.
This year, though, the Swedes will look to buck the trend with a loaded blueline led by superstar prospect and likely No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin.
Forwards
C: Lias Andersson, Fredrik Karlström, Linus Lindström, Marcus Davidsson
W: Elias Pettersson, Alexander Nylander, Oskar Steen, Jesper Boqvist, Marcus Davidsson, Glenn Gustafsson, Axel Jonsson Fjällby, Isac Lundeström, Tim Söderlund, Fabian Zetterlund
Sweden’s offence will centre around Lias Andersson, Alexander Nylander, and Elias Pettersson. While the team boasts some solid depth and skill, those three forwards will be looked upon to produce the brunt of Sweden’s scoring throughout the tournament.
Andersson was the seventh overall pick of the New York Rangers in 2017 and will be the team’s captain. He plays a high energy game and will be the catalyst between Nylander and Pettersson. Pettersson played on the team last year but only produced one assist, but this year he’ll be looked upon in a key role as he’s producing at a historic pace currently in the SHL. Then there’s Nylander, the veteran of the group. This will be his third World Juniors tournament, as he’ll look to build even further on the 21 points in 14 games he’s produced at the level.
Defence
Erik Brännström, Rasmus Dahlin, Linus Högberg, Timothy Liljegren, Gustav Lindström, Jacob Moverare, Jesper Sellgren
The strength of this Swedish team is certainly the blueline. The defence on this team boasts so much depth that Adam Boqvist, a projected top-10 pick for the 2018 NHL draft playing for Brynas, wasn’t able to make the cut. Instead, Sweden will roll with a group of veteran defenders.
Leading the way will be Rasmus Dahlin, who’s bound to become this year’s No. 1 overall pick at the NHL draft. He played on the team last year but in a sheltered role and will be tasked with much larger minutes this time around. Also playing key roles will be Timothy Liljegren, who missed last year’s tournament due to mono, and Erik Brannstrom, who will be tasked with playing difficult, defensive minutes.
Goaltenders
Filip Larsson, Filip Gustavsson, Olle Eriksson Ek
Filip Gustavsson played as Sweden’s backup last year, appearing in just one game. It appears he’ll be given the starting role, while Filip Larsson slides into his old backup role. Gustavsson has been mediocre in the SHL this year while Larsson has been excellent in the USHL, which, albeit, is a much weaker league. It’ll be interesting to see how this pans out during the tournament.
Thoughts
If the tournament wasn’t being held in North America, there would likely be a lot more hype around this Swedish team. That said, considering Sweden’s underwhelming finishes at the last three tournaments, this year’s group has ended up flying under the radar.
While Rasmus Dahlin is certainly the big draw for this team and will be getting the most attention, Sweden boasts a bevy of talented players that can lift them to excellence. Timothy Liljegren was supposed to be a top pick at last year’s draft but his season was derailed by mono. He’ll finally get his chance to shine on the biggest stage. Elias Pettersson is having one of, if not the best season ever for a U-20 player in the SHL, and he’ll have a chance to go on display in Buffalo.
