With the 2025 IIHF World Championship scheduled to begin on Friday, more details about each team's roster are starting to be released. While the Vancouver Canucks will have a few representatives at the event, it has now been confirmed that center Elias Pettersson and defenceman Tom Willander will not play for Team Sweden. While Pettersson attending the event was a long shot due to him rehabbing injuries from the past season, Willander did play for Sweden during their pre-tournament games, but did not make the final roster.
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Both reports came courtesy of Rick Dhaliwal from "Donnie and Dhali". Dhaliwal posted quotes from Sweden's head coach, Sam Hallam, regarding both players not being on the roster. As mentioned, Pettersson's was due to injury, while with Willander, Hallam and his staff felt he was "He is not there yet but very impressed with him".
Pettersson has had a year to forget when it comes to injuries. His knee issues prevented him from training properly during the 2024 off-season, which created problems throughout the season. This season, Pettersson also suffered an undisclosed injury in December, a knee injury at the 4-Nations Face-Off, and an oblique injury that ended his season early.
As for Willander, his season is now complete, unless he signs his entry-level contract. The 20-year-old recently finished his second season in the NCAA and is ready to make the jump to the pro level. According to reports, the reason Willander has not signed his entry-level contract has to do with "Schedule A" bonuses, which are paid out if a player hits certain marks during the season.
The 2025 IIHF World Championship begin on Friday and will take place in Sweden and Denmark. This year's tournament will feature some high-end players, including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Tage Thompson and David Pastrňák. The tournament can be viewed on TSN.
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