Sweden has kicked their women's hockey program into attack mode, with the nation making rapid gains.

When Sweden got relegated from the top division in the women’s Worlds in 2019 – and then couldn’t earn a promotion for two years as the Covid pandemic cancelled the Division I tournament twice – many Swedish hockey experts got worried.

Sweden’s a major hockey nation. Not only should the women’s team play in the top division, but they should also come home with a medal every once in a while.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine opened the door for the Swedes, who returned to the top division last August, finished seventh and secured a place for the 2023 Worlds where they pushed Canada to overtime and played Finland for fifth place. They lost, but it was another step forward.

The present is good, but the future looks even brighter. The Swedish league, the SDHL, attracts the best European talents to Sweden, making it one of the best leagues in the world and a good place for Swedish top players to develop.

Also, in 2019, the Swedish Olympic Committee launched their Olympic Offensive, a project to support promising athletes aiming to compete in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics. In January 2022, in partnership with the Swedish federation and the Swedish women’s league, the SDHL, the women’s hockey team was added to the list.

“We want to build the team that can battle for medals in 2026 and 2003. The Swedish Olympic Committee will provide special resources to the project, with the focus on tailor made training for the athletes,” said the Olympic Committee’s sports director Glenn Osth.

While other nations, including Canada and the US, traditionally summon their Olympic prospects together so that the team can practice and play together for eight months, the Olympic Offensive is a Swedish way to combine the benefits of with the strong SDHL by holding several camps during the summer.

“We’re more than happy to stand behind this initiative and help Swedish hockey while we also see it adding value to the SDHL. Sweden’s success in the international scene is important for the growth of the game. We see many synergies in this,” said Oscar Alsenfelt, the SDHL sports director.

The players in the Olympic Offensive group were chosen by the head coaches of the women’s team and the U18 team, Ulf Lundberg and Andreas Karlsson, respectively. Twelve of the 24 players were on the U18 team that went to the Worlds final in January. Some, like goaltender Ida Boman and defender Mira Jungaker, have already played in the Olympics. 

“Not only does the Olympic push continue but we can take it up a notch and that’s fantastic. Our camps, with focus on off-ice training, nutrition, recovery, as well as practices on the ice, will help the development of these young talents,” Lundberg said.

It’s going to be a busy summer for the young talents. The two dozen chosen ones spent last week on an off-ice training and test camp on Boson, the national development center of the Swedish Sports Confederation just outside in Stockholm. In late May, they’ll have another camp in Falun, Sweden, together with the women’s team, and in June, another camp in southern Sweden. Finally, in July, they’ll welcome the Ohio State University’s team for a visit to play some games. Their associate coach, Peter Elander, was Team Sweden head coach during the first decade of the 2000s, including in the 2006 Olympics when Sweden won silver.

“Playing against the Ohio State Buckeyes, one of the best college teams, will give valuable experience to the players,” says Anders Lundberg, Director of National Teams at the federation.

The Swedes have rolled up their sleeves.