National team captain Sam Hallam picked six pre-nominated players back in the summer. Now 19 names remain to be presented, and Hallam has announced that the full Olympic squad will consist of three goalkeepers, eight defenders and 14 forwards.
When the NHL players participated in Sochi in 2014, an SHL player, Jimmie Ericsson of Skellefteå, made Sweden's team; this time it will be all NHL players.
Here is the situation, team by team:
Goalkeepers
Minnesota duo Filip Gustavsson (91.2% save percentage) and rising star Jesper Wallstedt (93.1%) have maintained their best and most consistent form this fall. Linus Ullmark, the NHL's best goalie in 2023, has the most wins among the Swedes, 14, but has had an uneven season and only an 88.1% save percentage. He is now also highly uncertain after taking a break for personal reasons. Jacob Markström, the World Cup goalie this spring, also has an uneven fall behind him and an 88.3% save percentage.
Defenders
Preliminary nominees: Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo).
Hedman is in a race against time after having elbow surgery. Injured players can be replaced before the Olympics, but not once the tournament has started.
Also in contention are Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh), Gustav Forsling (Florida) and Jonas Brodin (Minnesota), and they are more or less locks.
Calgary's Rasmus Andersson, team captain in the World Cup this spring, has also had a strong fall behind him.
Then there are a plethora of candidates for the last two spots. Veterans like Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto) and Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton), who had a tough time in the Four Nations, or younger players like World Cup duo Simon Edvinsson (22, Detroit) and Rasmus Sandin (25, Washington), as well as Philip Broberg (24, St. Louis) and Axel Sandin-Pellikka (20), who made a sensational debut fall in Detroit.
Forwards
Preliminary nominees: Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado), William Nylander (Toronto), Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles), Lucas Raymond (Detroit).
Leo Carlsson's strong fall has elevated him to a contender as a first-choice center; otherwise it will mostly be stars from recent years in the forward lineup. Veteran Marcus Johansson (Minnesota) was not in the Four Nations, but he has had two good World Cup tournaments in a row and a hot fall behind him in the NHL.
Emil Heineman was a positive surprise in the World Cup and has scored 12 goals this fall for the New York Islanders, making him tied for sixth among Swedish goal scorers.
This is what the lineups could look like:
Goalkeepers: Linus Ullmark (Filip Gustavsson, Jesper Wallstedt).
Defensive pairs: Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin - Erik Karlsson, Gustav Forsling - Rasmus Andersson, Jonas Brodin.
Extra defenders: Simon Edvinsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Lines: William Nylander, Leo Carlsson, Lucas Raymond - Adrian Kempe, Mika Zibanejad, Jesper Bratt - Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Forsberg - Gabriel Landeskog, Elias Lindholm, Emil Heineman.
Extra forwards: Elias Pettersson, Mikael Backlund.
Goran Sundberg/TT
Facts: How Olympic hockey is played
TT
Twelve nations will compete in the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament between February 11 and 22.
Groups: Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France. Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy. Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark.
The group winners and the best second-placed team advance directly to the quarter-finals. The other eight teams go to the playoff qualifiers (round of 16).
Sweden's group stage matches:
February 11: Italy (21:10).
February 13: Finland (12:10).
February 14: Slovakia (12:10).
Playoff qualifiers will be played on February 17, quarterfinals on February 18, semifinals on February 20, the bronze medal match on February 21 and the final on February 22.
Latest Olympic winners:
2022: Finland, 2018: OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia), 2014: Canada, 2010: Canada, 2006: Sweden.
