Due to health problems, William Nylander refused to play for the Swedish national team, so the most productive player in the team is Viktor Hedman, the defender of Tampa Bay “Lightning”, who collected 76 points in 78 games of the regular season. Los Angeles Kings star Adrian Kemp has one less point. Both are helping the national team after withdrawing from the Stanley Cup. Hedman has five playoff seven points in matches, Kemp five games and five points.
Four hockey players play daily in Switzerland, including Jesper Freden, who helped Zurich Lions win the title with a goal in the seventh game of the series. Three come from the Swedish championship, including the youngest member of the team – 18-year-old Felix Ungers-Serum. He represented the Swedish U20 team at the turn of the year and finished the World Championship with six points in seven games. Playing his second season in the Swedish championship, the “Leksands” striker scored 15 points in 35 games. In the test matches, Ungers-Serum even got a role in the first series.
The Swedes were crowned world champions in 2017 and 2018, but several disappointments followed. In 2019, they lost in the quarter-finals against the Finns, in the 2021 bubble championship in Riga, the Swedes did not even get out of the group, in 2022 they lost to the Canadians in the quarter-finals, and a year ago – to the Latvian national team. A year ago, the Swedish national team had eight players from the NHL, this year – 18.
Latvia and Sweden will compete in the early game on May 18. The United States, Germany, Slovakia, France, Kazakhstan and Poland will also compete in the Ostrava sub-group.
Swedish composition
| Position | Player | Year | Club | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Philip Gustavson | 1998 | Wildcats (NHL) | 45 games 89.9% |
| Jespers Vallstet | 2002 | Wildcats (NHL) | 3 games 89.7% | |
| Samuel Eshon | 1999 | Flyers (NHL) | 51 games 89.0% | |
| Defender | Eric Carlson | 1990 | Penguins (NHL) | 82 games 11+45 |
| Victor Hedman | 1990 | Lightning (NHL) | 78 games 13+63 | |
| Rasmuss Dahlins | 2000 | Sabers (NHL) | 81 games 20+39 | |
| Junas Brudins | 1993 | Wildcats (NHL) | 62 games 7+20 | |
| Marcus Peteshon | 1996 | Penguins (NHL) | 82 games 4+26 | |
| Lukas Bengtsson | 1994 | Zug (Switzerland) | 48 games 5+24 | |
| Tim Head | 1991 | Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland) | 45 games 6+23 | |
| Attacker | Andre Burakovskis | 1995 | Kraken (NHL) | 49 games 7+9 |
| Joel Erickson-Ek | 1997 | Wildcats (NHL) | 77 games 30+34 | |
| Victor Olofsson | 1995 | Sabers (NHL) | 51 games 7+8 | |
| Lucas Raymond | 2002 | Red Wings (NHL) | 82 games 31+41 | |
| Marcus Johansson | 1990 | Wildcats (NHL) | 78 games 11+19 | |
| Isak Lundestrom | 1999 | Ducks (NHL) | 46 games 5+6 | |
| Fabian Setterlund | 1999 | Sharks (NHL) | 82 games 24+20 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 1996 | Kings (NHL) | 77 games 28+47 | |
| Carl Grundstrom | 1997 | Kings (NHL) | 50 games 8+4 | |
| Pontus Holmberius | 1999 | Maple Leafs (NHL) | 54 games 7+10 | |
| Marcus Serensen | 1992 | Friborg (Switzerland) | 52 games 31+32 | |
| Jesper Freden | 1994 | ZSC Lions (Switzerland) | 47 games 22+18 | |
| Max Fribery | 1992 | Frolunda | 51 games 16+27 | |
| Felix Unger-Serum | 2005 | Lexand | 35 games 3+12 | |
| Linus Johansson | 1992 | Farjestad | 49 games 8+10 |
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