- Loke Krantz and Theo Stockselius both beat cancer as kids before hearing their names at the NHL draft
- The Sweden teammates are chasing 2027 World Junior spots at the Summer Showcase in Windsor
- Read below for what the Kraken and Flames prospects said about sharing the same fight
Loke Krantz and Theo Stockselius spent this week in Windsor chasing a spot on Sweden’s roster for the 2027 World Junior Championship. Just being on the ice means a lot more than that.
Both forwards beat cancer before they ever got drafted. Krantz, a Seattle Kraken seventh-round pick in 2025, survived leukemia after being diagnosed at age 8. Stockselius, a Calgary Flames second-rounder that same year, came through thyroid cancer that took two operations in 2022.
Now the two are teammates at the World Junior Summer Showcase, competing side by side for a chance to wear the Sweden jersey again. Krantz talked about what it means to do it next to someone who fought the same battle, as Mike Morreale detailed for NHL.com.
“It’s a special moment because we got through the same thing. It’s a special moment to share with him, to play internationally with him. I’m so happy for him also that he got through the cancer.”
Krantz was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 and went through chemotherapy and regular hospital visits before doctors cleared him in the summer of 2018. There was a stretch where he didn’t know if hockey was still in his future.
“From the beginning when I got cancer, I didn’t know if I was ever going to play hockey again. After one year, I played my first game and was just so happy to come back.”
The 19-year-old winger made Sweden’s team at last winter’s World Junior Championship and played all six games, including the final, as Sweden beat Czechia 4-2 for its first title since 2012. Watch the gold medal game highlights:
Stockselius took a different road. He was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 15, had operations in August and November of 2022, and still goes for checkups every six months. The rink became the place that held him together.
“Hockey helped me very much when I had some tough times. I had very good teammates when I had cancer, and they helped me a lot. Getting to the rink every day to play hockey helped me a lot to get through it.”
Eric Nilson, an Anaheim Ducks prospect who plays for Sweden, has known both of them since they were kids. He said they never complained through any of it and just kept working to get back.
Sweden coach Magnus Havelid keeps the bigger picture in mind with the two of them.
“It’s a reminder to enjoy the game, compete, but it’s more about your health. There’s pressure on those guys, but they’ve handled it so well.”
Stockselius turned 19 on Friday and signed his entry-level deal with Calgary in May, with a plan to keep developing at Djurgardens this season. Krantz is signed with Linkoping through 2027-28. Both still have their eyes on the same jersey.
