Team Sweden announced its Olympic men's hockey roster on Friday, and some key players were left off.
Sweden revealed their Olympic men's hockey roster on Friday, and there are more intriguing questions about it than any other squad's.
There are no clear answers as to why the Swedes chose some of the players they did. They're among the top contenders at the Olympics, but the Canadians and Americans are co-favorites to win it all. So they'll have a big challenge to try to win their first Olympic gold in hockey since the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
With that noted, these are our key reactions for the Swedish team.
1. Mattias Ekholm, Hampus Lindholm And Simon Edvinsson Left Off
When this writer made his projection for the Swedish team in early December, we left Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm off the roster. We felt like Ekholm's game had a lot of wear and tear on it, and at 35, Ekholm's best days may be behind him.
As it turns out, Ekholm was indeed omitted from Team Sweden, and Ekholm could probably use the rest of the Olympic break as much as any veteran who won't be playing.
However, there was another Swedish veteran we felt was a shoo-in for an Olympic roster spot – Boston Bruins veteran Hampus Lindholm – who also didn't make the cut. That was a far bigger surprise than Ekholm being left off the roster.
In addition, a young and talented blueliner – Detroit Red Wings D-man Simon Edvinsson – also failed to make Team Sweden. Edvinsson has been averaging more than 22 minutes a game on a very good Red Wings team, but the lineup of veteran defensemen ahead of Edvinsson left no roster spot open for him.
So who got the nod ahead of Ekholm, Lindholm and Edvinsson? That would be St. Louis Blues D-man Philip Broberg, who was far and away the biggest surprise pick for Sweden's defense corps.
Broberg is averaging 23:12 with the Blues, but the 24-year-old has only 11 assists and 13 points. Compare that to Edvinsson – who has five goals and 15 points this year – and it's clear that Broberg is a curious choice indeed for the Swedes.
If a Swedish D-man is injured prior to the Olympics, you'd have to presume that Lindholm will be the first choice to replace him. But as it stands, the Swedes' group of blueliners will have something to prove.
Sweden Announces Men's 2026 Olympic Hockey Roster: Full List
Sweden named the 25 players representing the men's national hockey team at the 2026 Olympics, including both Minnesota Wild goaltenders.
2. William Eklund Is Snubbed, But Pontus Holmberg Gets In
Sweden's group of forwards was more or less what we anticipated, with one notable exception: San Jose Sharks youngster William Eklund did not make the cut.
The 23-year-old left winger has 10 goals and 26 points in 36 games this season, putting him on pace to beat his current career high of 17 goals. But that wasn't good enough to get him a spot in what would've been his first best-on-best tourney.
It was a bad harbinger that Eklund wasn't on Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but the really curious development was that Eklund was leapfrogged by veteran NHL fourth-liner Pontus Holmberg of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Holmberg isn't a poor player by any stretch, but in his first year in Tampa Bay after spending the past three NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Holmberg has just six goals and 12 points while averaging just 12:53 of ice time.
Each of the top Olympic squads has added a depth forward or two who can feature on the penalty kill. Holmberg is not that player. He's not a mainstay on the Lightning's penalty kill, and he wasn't on the Leafs' PK very often either. His career average faceoff win percentage is 45.6. But he is known as a two-way forward who can play center or on the wing.
Eklund doesn't play on the penalty kill often either, but it seems like the only advantage Holmberg has is playing multiple positions and knowing his role as a limited-impact fourth-liner. Otherwise, considering that the Swedes will need all the offensive firepower they can muster against the superior-on-paper Canadians and Americans, leaving Eklund at home may be a choice Sweden comes to regret.
3. Without Linus Ullmark, Who Will Be Sweden's Starter?
Ottawa Senators veteran Linus Ullmark took a leave of absence from the Ottawa Senators in late December amid a subpar season. So that may have made the choice of goalies easier for the Swedes, who picked veteran New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom, as well as Minnesota Wild netminders Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, as their trio of netminders.
That said, there's no clear-cut choice right now to be Sweden's starter between the pipes. Markstrom is also struggling this season, posting an .884 save percentage and a 3.32 goals-against average in 20 games this season. So as far as we're concerned, he's third on the depth chart for the Swedes.
Otherwise, Gustavsson (.912 SP, 2.47 GAA) and Wallstedt (.928 SP, 2.21 GAA) are having strong campaigns.
The starter's job may ultimately go to the Wild goalie who is hotter by the time the Olympics roll around. Because at the moment, there's no guarantee either one will be the No. 1 option once the Winter Games begin on Feb. 11.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.