When the Winter Olympics kick off next February, it will have been 20 years since Team Sweden won its last gold medal in that tournament. Since the 2006 Games, Tre Kronor captured silver in 2014 but otherwise finished off the podium.
For a team once viewed as an international powerhouse, that's been a surprising trend. Even at the World Championship level, Sweden has just two bronze finishes since the back-to-back golds in 2017 and 2018. Now, as we learn the first six members of the 2026 roster, Sweden could be primed for a return to greatness.
The first players to join Sweden at the Olympics are Lucas Raymond, William Nylander, Gabriel Landeskog, Adrian Kempe, Rasmus Dahlin, and Victor Hedman.
If you're noticing a trend, well... there really isn't one, and that's what makes these choices so strong. There is the perfect blend of established NHL and international talent in Hedman and Landeskog, a dynamic high-scoring forward in Nylander, and two younger skaters with high ceiling of potential in Dahlin and Raymond.
Sweden ramping up the offense for 2026 Olympics
It's clear that even in the defensive choices so far, Sweden is emphasizing offensive production. Hedman and Dahlin are phenomenal puck movers on the blueline, each recording 51 assists this season and combining for a total of 134 points.
Hedman in particular was a standout at the World Championship this year, when Sweden defeated Denmark for the bronze medal. He tallied a goal and seven helpers in ten games.
Nylander is very well-established on the international stage as well. His performance in the 2019 World Championship was nothing short of explosive, recording 18 points in eight games as Sweden finished fifth. Although that was several years ago at this point, Nylander is riding a streak of three straight 40-goal seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs including a career-best 45 this season.
Landeskog has not played in an international tournament since 2019, and given what he's proven in the NHL, he has underperformed for Sweden. He had just one assist in six games en route to an Olympic silver in 2014, and his best personal performance was on that high-scoring fifth-place squad in 2019.
But after his resilient return to NHL action following a three-year hiatus, Landeskog is a worthy addition -- he managed to tally four points in five games this postseason, showing he's still very capable of being a game-changer.
Meanwhile, as a 23-year-old, Raymond had a strong breakout in 2023-24 and followed it up with a personal best of 80 points this year in his fourth NHL season. He plays first line minutes on a consistent basis, with an equally good ability to light the lamp as well as elevate his teammates to produce goals. He's the Red Wings leading scorer over the last two years, and will be a fixture for Team Sweden for many years to come.
Kempe is right in the middle of the pack in terms of age and experience, which makes him the perfect choice to round out the opening six. The 28-year-old has led the Los Angeles Kings in scoring each of the last two seasons, with a career-high 75 points last year and then 73 this season. He's unquestionably been a leader for the Kings in recent years, and has a golden opportunity to potentially be a huge part of Sweden's push to win big next year.
The selections for next year's Olympic roster should leave Team Sweden fans feeling optimistic about their chances to once again reach the podium on that stage for the first time in 12 years.