Sweden won its third JVM gold medal ever in the final against the Czech Republic - and half the team is old enough to participate again.
Among those who are old enough to play in next season's World Junior Championships in Canada are goaltending hero Love Härenstam; defender Sascha Boumedienne, who scored against the Czech Republic; and the forward trio Anton Frondell (scorer), Ivar Stenberg (one goal and two assists in the final) and Viggo Björck.
However, there is a catch - will the stars already be in the NHL by then?
It's very, very uncertain, of course. It's entirely up to how things develop. The likelihood is that Ivar Stenberg will go very high in the NHL draft, maybe even number one, and it won't take long before that team has him. Frondell went third (drafted by Chicago); NHL teams don't want to waste that.
But then it's about where they get to play, how much they get to play in the NHL. If they only play a few games, it's possible the NHL teams will release them, says Loob, Olympic gold medalist in 1994, Stanley Cup champion with Calgary in 1989 and two-time World Championship gold medalist.
“Genuinely talented”
Who are the biggest talents on the gold team?
There are two that stand out for me: Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck. They are genuinely talented in everything they do. Viggo Björck is not only offensive, he is excellent in his own zone, helps defenders and plays like a fully-fledged senior player. But both stand out in that they already have the full range. Ivar is also good defensively; he has proven that in Frölunda, says Loob.
Of the twelve who can play next season, eight have been drafted, while the remaining four can go in this summer's draft.
“Big lift”
Swedish ice hockey has been hungry for a success like the JVM gold. It was the first JVM gold since 2012, and Tre Kronor's senior team has not won a world championship title since 2018. Håkan Loob believes the success means a lot.
It means more than the average person thinks - this is a big boost for Swedish hockey. There has been a bit of a lack of real success; there has been some grumbling around Tre Kronor. But the Olympics will be the big test; it is Swedish ice hockey's big marketing event, says Loob about the Olympics in Milan which start in a month.
Goran Sundberg/TT
Facts: The players who can return
TT
Here are the JVM players who are old enough to play in next season's Junior World Championships:
Love Härenstam, 18, goaltender, Södertälje (drafted by St. Louis), Måns Goos, 18, goaltender, Färjestad (Dallas), Sascha Boumedienne, 18, defenseman, Boston University (Winnipeg), William Håkansson, 18, defenseman, Luleå, Viggo Björck, 17, forward, Djurgården, Anton Frondell, 18, forward, Djurgården (Chicago), Eddie Genborg, 18, forward, Timrå (Detroit), Milton Gästrin, 18, forward, Modo (Washington), Casper Juustovaara, 18, forward, Luleå, Loke Krantz, 18, forward, Linköping (Seattle), Eric Nilson, 18, forward, Michigan State (Anaheim), Ivar Stenberg, 18, forward, Frölunda.
