Predictions For Sweden’s Hockey Roster At The 2026 Olympics

Here are my predictions for the Team Sweden hockey roster at the next Olympics. This will be for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, where they will be one of the medal favorites. We try and project who will be the lines, goalies, power play units and penalty kill units. NOTE: We will be updating this as the event draws closer and things will likely change.

Gunner’s Projected Roster For Team Sweden At The Next Olympics

Forward Lines

You can pencil in William Nylander and Elias Pettersson for this team. They will both be in the top 6 for this tournament.

I think that this could be a really good line. Nylander and Pettersson bring their elite offensive talent. Filip Forsberg provides some strong two-way play to help on the defensive end. I think that they could compliment one another well.

Other countries like Canada and the USA have more star power up front but this is a solid top line for them to roll out.

Mika Zibanejad will be on one of the top lines on this team. He is one of the best Swedish players in the world and will be a main piece of the team.

I am going to predict that Jesper Bratt will be on the wing alongside Zibanejad. Bratt has a lot of talent and should keep getting better.

I am going to pair Leo Carlsson on the wing with Zibanejad and Bratt. Leo is a center but I have him moving over to the wing to get into the top 6. This will require Leo to make the jump in his development but I am confident the talent is there.

I think that Adrian Kempe, Elias Lindholm, and Lucas Raymond would be a nice mix of talent. Lindholm is a solid two-way center. Kempe is the goal scorer and Raymond is a set-up guy who can also score. I think that they would complement one another well.

Raymond could easily make his way into the top 6 as he grows as a player. I have him on this third line for now but he is someone to keep your eyes on.

This would mainly be used as a shutdown line for the other team’s best line. Sweden is going to need a strong checking line to counter some of the elite talent that is going to be in this tournament. A line centered by Joel Eriksson Ek is going to be their best option is he is a great defensive forward.

All three guys can also put up points, so they don’t have to be used exclusively on the defensive end.

William Eklund, Nils Hoglander, and Fabian Zetterlund are all possible based on their ages and potential. If they make the next step in their development, any of them could find their way onto this team.

If I had to choose one, it would be Eklund. I am high on him and think that he is going to be a really solid player.

Defense Pairs

Rasmus Dahlin is one of the best defenseman in the NHL and should be on the top pair at this tournament.

Victor Hedman is a question mark for this team because of his age. I am going to assume he plays and if he does, a top pairing with Dahlin makes sense. They would be a strong pairing against some of the elite offensive talent on teams like Canada and the USA.

On a related note, check out my predictions for the USA Olympic hockey team.

Both Hampus Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson are two-way defensemen who can play a lot of minutes. I think that pairing them together would make a lot of sense and I think they would play well with one another.

This could serve as the top pairing for Sweden if Hedman’s age gets the better of him as well.

Mattias Ekholm is a big question mark for this team based on his age. If he can keep his game up, he would be a strong bottom pairing option for this team. Jonas Brodin is a guy who I think will be on this team. One of them will have to play on their wrong side though.

I think Karlsson is going to be too old but I will keep him on the bubble. Forsling has really impressed me with his play for the Florida Panthers. I could easily see him replace one of the older guys that I have in the lineup.

Goalies

Linus Ullmark is the definite starter in my book. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2023, so he will likely be the one to beat out for the job.

Jacob Markström has a chance but his age is a real concern for me. I could see him as the backup though.

Filip Gustavsson has talent but I don’t know if he would be able to beat out Ullmark for the job.

Powerplay Units

Penalty Kill Units

Who do you think will be on this Swedish team? Do you disagree with any of my picks or lines? Let me know in the comments or also on Twitter. I think Sweden will have a really good chance to win a medal and they will be fun to watch.