Comprised mostly of NHL talent, the Swedes are always a threat during international competition, and there’s no reason to believe that the squad lacing up for the Sochi Olympics will be any different.
Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson, who is likely playing in his last Olympics, will provide veteran leadership for first-timers like Gustav Nyquist and Gabriel Landeskog. The team boasts a strong mix of offensive talent, but will certainly miss the chemistry of the Sedin twins as Henrik was forced to pull out of the competition due to an injury. The team will also miss the net-front presence of Johan Franzen, who is out with a concussion. Niklas Backstrom should see significant time at center dishing the puck to some of the team’s elite talent.
On defense, the opposition better keep their heads up when defender Nicklas Kronwall is on the ice. Known for his big game-changing hits, Kronwall provides an intimidation factor that many other teams can’t match. Players like Hjalmarsson, Ekom-Larsson and Edler are all strong defensively with plenty of NHL experience, and Ericsson has emerged as a strong defenseman in his own right for the Detroit Red Wings.
The always-dangerous Henrik Lundqvist will man the net for team Sweden. Lundqvist always brings his A-game, and he will certainly be one of the tougher goalies to put the puck past this year.
Here’s Sweden’s full roster:
Forwards
D. Alfredsson
N. Bäckström
P. Berglund
J. Ericsson
L. Eriksson
C. Hagelin
M. Johansson
M. Krüger
G. Landeskog
G. Nyquist
D. Sedin
J. Silfverberg
A. Steen
H. Zetterberg
Defense
A. Edler
O. Ekman-Larsson
J. Ericsson
N. Hjalmarsson
E. Karlsson
N. Kronwall
J. Oduya
H. Tallinder
Goalies
J. Enroth
J. Gustavsson
H. Lundqvist
