Sweden's Olympic Goalies Should Be Selected On Performance, Not By Reputation

As we draw near to the 2026 Winter Olympics, NHL players are jostling to be a representative of their country. The goalie picture for multiple teams is highly competitive – none more so than Team Sweden's netminding picture.

Two of the three goaltenders presumed to have an inside track on the Swedes’ Olympic roster – Ottawa Senators Linus Ullmark and New Jersey Devils Jacob Markstrom – are two starting netminders for their respective clubs, who haven’t been great this season.

While these two goaltenders have winning records and their teams are in the top three of their respective divisions, Ullmark and Markstrom's numbers haven't been the hottest.

Ullmark has an 8-5-4 record, along with a 2.95 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage. Meanwhile, Markstrom has a 5-3-1 record, with a 3.83 GAA and an .864 SP. Their subpar performances have opened the door to other challengers.

Team USA Can't Catch A Break Amid Long List Of Injuries USA Hockey have had terrible luck on the injury front as of late. Key stars are sidelined, with some players sidelined past the roster deadline on Dec. 31.

Even Sweden's starting goaltender at the 4 Nations Face-Off – Minnesota Wild's Filip Gustavsson –isn’t exactly taking a stranglehold on a spot at the Olympics.

Gustafsson has a 6-7-2 record, a .902 SP and a 2.79 GAA. And he’s been pushed to the brink of losing his starter’s job to youngster, and fellow Swedish goaltender, Jesper Wallstedt.

He is yet to lose in regulation this season and posted a 5-0-2 mark in seven starts. With that, he registered a .926 SP, a 2.20 GAA and two shutouts.

The 23-year-old Wallstedt is essentially playing with house money in terms of being an Olympic player for Sweden, and the pressure is on Gustavsson to step up and push Wallstedt to the back of the line.

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But that’s as it should be. From this writer’s perspective, you build your Olympic team by riding the hot hand in goal, and that means waiting until the last minute to decide which goaltenders you want on your team.

If that means pushing the veterans to the side in favor of younger goalies, so be it. There is a risk when relying on reputation, especially in the goaltending department when success often comes in waves and streaks.

With a solid group of forwards and a decent defense corps, Sweden has the chance to upset favorites such as Canada and USA at the next Olympics. And if they’re going to do so, one of their goalies is going to have to be dynamic enough to give his team a chance to win games. 

Three NHL Forwards Who May Have Played Their Way Off Team Canada While there is an argument for several players to make Team Canada, other players from last year's 4 Nations Face-Off roster will need to be cut to make that room. Who are those players?

Whether that’s Markstrom, Wallstedt, Gustavsson, Ullmark, or any other goalie remains to be seen. But whoever is thriving when the Dec. 31 roster deadline arrives is the right choice to be Sweden’s starter.

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