Predicting Team Sweden’s Roster for 2026 Olympics

Canada and USA are going to be the favorites at the 2026 Olympics, but Team Sweden shouldn’t be overlooked.

The Swedes boast a roster full of depth, especially on the blue line, with a group of goalies that are up there with the best of them.

As with Canada and USA, the 4 Nations Face-Off in February gave us a glimpse into what Team Sweden’s roster could look like for the upcoming Olympic Games. However, with fewer players to choose from, there may not be as many changes as the North American squads.

Sweden’s first six players named included four forwards in Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, William Nylander, and Lucas Raymond, and two defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Hedman.

Let’s take a crack at predicting the Team Sweden roster for the 2026 Olympics.

Goaltenders

Filip Gustavsson, Jacob Markstrom, and Linus Ullmark were the three goalies initially named to the Team Sweden roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, Markstrom had to bow out due to an injury, giving way to Philadelphia Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson.

Assuming those three goalies are healthy again, they’ll be the trio heading to Italy for Team Sweden.

Ersson would likely be the first replacement once again, with Anton Forsberg and Arvid Soderblom as options if the injury bug bites hard.

Team Sweden Goaltenders Predictions (3): Filip Gustavsson, Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark

Defensemen

The blue line is where Team Sweden thrives. They’ve already named Dahlin and Hedman to the roster, leaving six spots for the rest of the Swedish backends.

Rasmus Andersson, Jonas Brodin, Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling, and Erik Karlsson were the other defensemen on the roster at 4 Nations and should be the early favorites to represent Sweden in Italy. But even if all five of those guys make it, there’s a need for an eighth blueliner.

There are quite a few options who could fill that gap, depending on what type of player Sweden wants to include on the roster.

Red Wings youngster Simon Edvinsson put up 31 points in 78 games last year while averaging over 21 minutes per game. His 6-foot-6 frame could put him above the competition.

Then there’s Philip Broberg, another big boy who impressed during his first season in St. Louis.

But could the Swedes turn to someone with experience like Oliver Ekman-Larsson? He, too, averaged over 21 minutes per game but is now 34 years old.

The likeliest to fill the gap might just be Boston blueliner Hampus Lindholm. He was limited to just 17 games last season after averaging over 23 minutes per game the previous two campaigns. In fact, his 23 minutes per game over the last three seasons is the sixth-most among Swedish defensemen.

There’s a distinct lack of right-handed defensemen, though, with Andersson and Karlsson as the only two. That could give an edge to veteran Adam Larsson, who’s averaged 22:35 per game over the last three seasons. But some of these left-handed guys can play both sides.

Team Sweden Defensemen Predictions (8): Rasmus Andersson, Jonas Brodin, Rasmus Dahlin*, Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling, Victor Hedman*, Erik Karlsson, Hampus Lindholm

Forwards

Team Sweden doesn’t exactly have many superstars. Instead, they rely on good forward depth with guys who can play specific roles.

There’s room for 14 forwards on the roster, so with Kempe, Landeskog, Nylander, and Raymond already named, that leaves 10 spots.

Team Sweden’s forwards and the 4 Nations were Viktor Arvidsson, Jesper Bratt, Leo Carlsson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Forsberg, Elias Lindholm, Gustav Nyquist, Elias Pettersson, Rickard Rakell, and Mika Zibanejad, along with Kempe, Nylander, and Raymond.

That’s 13 forwards, so it could be as simple as adding Landeskog and being done with it, if Sweden chooses.

But if they want to replace someone, it’d probably be Arvidsson or Nyquist. Both former Predators, Nyquist had just 28 points last season after putting up 75 the year prior. Arvidsson, too, struggled, finding himself a healthy scratch in the playoffs after recording just 27 points in 67 games.

So who could replace either of those guys?

William Eklund could definitely make a case. He had the eighth-most points among Swedish forwards last season with 58 (17 goals, 41 assists) in his age-22 season on a bad Sharks team.

Then there are veteran centers like Mikael Backlund and William Karlsson who might not put up the numbers of some of the other guys, but could be used down the lineup.

Team Sweden Forward Predictions (14): Viktor Arvidsson, Jesper Bratt, Leo Carlsson, William Eklund, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Forsberg, Adrian Kempe*, Gabriel Landeskog*, Elias Lindholm, William Nylander*, Elias Pettersson, Rickard Rakell, Lucas Raymond*, and Mika Zibanejad