Following a four-day training camp, Sweden announced its roster for the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Friday.
“We have had a very good camp in Katrineholm,” said coach Johan Rosén. “Many players have shown their mettle, making it a tough job to select this squad, because many have shown that they really want to be involved.”
The roster doesn’t include two projected top-10 picks in next year’s NHL Entry Draft – Igor Stenberg is a late-2007 birth and therefore ineligible, while 2008-born Viggo Björck was instead part of Sweden’s U-20 team at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Björck will likely play for Sweden at both the IIHF World Junior Championship in the winter and the U-18 World Championship in the spring.
This Swedish roster does include potential 2026 first-round picks Elton Hermansson, Marcus Nordmark and Oscar Holmertz. All players were born in 2008 and all play domestically in Sweden's top U-18 and U-20 leagues.
On Friday afternoon, the team will travel to Slovakia. The Swedes will play a pre-tournament game against Finland in Piešťany on Saturday at 11:00 CEST and then begin the group stage on Monday in Trenčín – 50 km to the north – against Germany.
Click here for the complete tournament schedule.
Sweden hasn’t won this summer U-18 tournament since 2007 – before any of the current players were born – but has lost to Canada in the final four times since then.
“We’re traveling with a team that we believe has the opportunity to win the tournament,” Rosén added. “At the same time, it is early in the season and we see it as part of our development journey leading up to the U-18 World Championship (which is also in Slovakia) next spring.”
Goaltenders: Douglas Nilsson, Färjestad, Milo Tjärnlund, Rögle
Defensemen: Hjalmar Cilthe, Frölunda, Axel Elofsson, Örebro, Malte Gustafsson, HV71, Theodor Knights, Modo, Vilgot Lidén, Leksand, Henry Nicolaysen, AIK, Ola Palme, Växjö.
Forwards: Adam Andersson, Leksand, Ludvig Andersson, Örebro, Nils Bartholdsson, Rögle, Elton Hermansson, Modo, Oscar Holmertz, Linköping, Isak Holtet, Färjestad, Max Isaksson, Växjö, Måns Josbrant, Luleå, Olle Karlsson, Växjö, Mikael Kim, Rögle, Bosse Meijer, Frölunda, Marcus Nordmark, Djurgården, Hampus Zirath, Djurgården.
