Almost two weeks ago, Erik Karlsson confirmed his attendance at just the third IIHF World Championship of his career, and first since being a member of the gold-medal-winning Swedish team in 2012 on home ice. Since then, more have been confirmed and the number of NHLers on this year’s Swedish roster is now up to 19 – including three who spent time this season in the AHL.
“It's fun that some people from the NHL are trickling in. Many are new faces for me and some are Swedes I haven’t seen for a while,” Karlsson reportedly said in an interview with Expressen.
One of Karlsson’s teammates on the 2012 team was Victor Hedman. As Hedman’s Tampa Bay Lightning have made a habit of deep runs in the Stanley Cup playoffs, this will be just the fourth World Championship for the 33-year-old defenseman.
“Of course, it will be fun,” said Karlsson. “It’s been a few years since we were last teammates, so I’m looking forward to that. I’ve talked a little loosely with Hedman about how fun it would be if we got to play together now during the World Championship, but we’ll see what happens. It will probably work out.”
Considering only 22 skaters and three goaltenders can be registered on an IIHF tournament roster, 19 NHLers doesn't leave much room for anyone else.
According to Eliteprospects.com, here are the confirmed NHLers on Sweden’s preliminary roster. It includes three forwards – Carl Grundstöm, Pontus Holmberg and William Karlsson – who are not yet listed on the Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s website.
Goaltenders (3): Samuel Ersson, Philadelphia Flyers, Filip Gustavsson, Minnesota Wild, Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota Wild
Defencemen (5): Jonas Brodin, Minnesota Wild, Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres, Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning, Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins, Marcus Pettersson, Pittsburgh Penguins
Forwards: André Burakovsky, Seattle Kraken, Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota Wild, Carl Grundstöm, Los Angeles Kings, Pontus Holmberg, Toronto Maple Leafs, Marcus Johansson, Minnesota Wild, William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights, Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings, Isac Lundeström, Anaheim Ducks, Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres, Fabian Zetterlund, San Jose Sharks, Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings