If there was any question of a changing of the guard on Team Sweden from aging greats Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson to Rasmus Dahlin, the first two games against Italy and Finland have provided enough evidence that the Buffalo Sabres team captain is Tre Kronor’s top dog. In the 5-2 win over the host Italians, Dahlin had two assists. In their 4-1 loss to the archrival Finns, he scored Sweden’s only goal, and led the club with seven shots on goal and just under 22 minutes of ice time. Finland and Sweden are 1-1 and trail unbeaten Slovakia, who the Swedes face on Saturday in the final game of group play. Tage Thompson and Team USA take on Denmark on Saturday and former Sabre JJ Peterka’s Germany on Sunday. In Team Canada’s 5-1 victory over Switzerland, Sam Reinhart played 13:21 on the night. Former Sabre Rasmus Ristolainen was +3 in nearly 20 minutes against Sweden, Joel Armia scored a key short-handed goal late in the second period, but Henri Jokiharju played just 2:12 in the contest. Other Sabres Stories Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/six-former-sabres-who-signed-elsewhere] Is Rasmus Dahlin a Norris contender? Here is an update on Sabres prospects selected at the 2023 Draft in Nashville Anton Wahlberg – C – 39th overall The 20-year-old came to North America to play with Rochester at the end of the 2024 season and played in the Calder Cup playoff games vs. Syracuse. Last season,the 6’4”, 198 lb. forward finished his first full season with the Amerks with 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 63 games, but struggled in the playoffs after recovering from illness, going pointless in six games. This season, Wahlberg’s offensive totals are down slightly (6 goals, 17 assists in 43 games), but he is leading Rochester in plus/minus with a +14. Maxim Strbak – D – 45th overall The big right-handed defenseman played for Slovakia in four World Juniors, and is in his junior year at Michigan State. Last season, the 20-year-old had a career-best 19 points (3 goal, 16 assists) in 33 games as a sophomore. This season, Strbak is on a similar pace with the Spartans (2 goals, 13 assists in 28 games), but his plus/minus has gone up to +17. Gavin McCarthy – D – 86th overall A Western New York native who played three seasons for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, McCarthy played two years for Muskegon before heading to Boston University. The 6’2”, 188 lb. blueliner went to the Frozen Four in his freshman year and as a sophomore, had 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) in 39 games for the Terriers. This season, the right-handed defenseman has 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) in 29 games. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo
