World Cup of Hockey 2016 preview: Team Sweden
Can Team Sweden’s impressive blue line carry them to victory at the World Cup of Hockey?
Sweden has quietly become one of the most impressive ice hockey breeding grounds in the world. A large part of that stems from moving some of their best athletes to goaltender to give them a chance against Canada and Russia. But now Sweden has caught up to the rest of the world all over the ice. They will ice one of the most impressive teams at the World Cup of Hockey.
Even with an unimpressive 1-1-1 record in the exhibition games, Sweden boasts arguably the second deepest team in the tournament, trailing only Canada. They have too much talent to do poorly in the tournament. With games starting to count, expect Sweden to step up their game. Do they have enough to win the tournament? Yes, they do.
Forwards
When hockey fans think of Swedish players, two names immediately come to mind — Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The Sedin twins are arguably the two best forwards to ever come out of Sweden. It’s impossible to think of one without the other. They have combined for 1,912 points during their careers. As always, they will headline Sweden’s forward group. It’s likely that new teammate Loui Eriksson will play with them since they have international experience together.
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Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (70 points in 75 games) has emerged as one of the NHL’s elite centers. He is an excellent playmaker who can handle significant defensive responsibilities as well. Backstrom will likely be flanked by Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg (33 goals in 82 games) and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist (51 points in 82 games).
Colorado Avalanche center Carl Soderberg (51 points in 82 games) has an impressive resume considering that he is partially blind in one eye. He will be joined by teammate Gabriel Landeskog (53 points in 75 games) and Anaheim Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg (39 points in 82 games). Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (47 points in 82 games) is one of the better defensive centers in the NHL and he can score as well. Flanking him will be Penguins forward Carl Hagelin (39 points in 80 games) and St. Louis Blues forward Patrik Berglund (15 points in 42 games).
Defensemen
Sweden’s blue line is outright scary. They have four legitimate Norris Trophy candidates and some very good complementary defensemen. Sweden struggled defensively in exhibition games, but it’s hard to imagine that this group won’t be great once the games start counting.
Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson led the NHL in assists as a defenseman. He can do a lot of things with the puck that most people couldn’t even do in NHL 17. Anaheim Ducks defenseman Hampus Lindholm (28 points in 80 games) will likely be paired with Karlsson. That’s a pretty deadly pairing.
Tampa Bay Lightning teammates Victor Hedman (47 points in 78 games) and Anton Stralman (34 points in 73 games) will likely form Sweden’s second defensive pairings. Most NHL teams don’t have a pairing as efficient as that one.
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (55 points in 75 games) will likely run Sweden’s power play and generally drive possession whenever he’s on the ice. He will likely be paired with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (24 points in 81 games). Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm will serve as the team’s extra defenseman. Their defense should be the best group at the World Cup of Hockey
Goaltending
Sweden has one of the best goaltenders in the world in Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. He has a lot of international experience and has been among the world’s elite goalies for most of his career. Though he performed poorly in the exhibition games, fans shouldn’t worry too much. Until Lundqvist proves that he’s not elite, he’s elite.
Jacob Markstrom of the Vancouver Canucks (.915 save percentage) will likely serve as the backup goaltender for Sweden. Don’t expect him to get too much playing time with Lundqvist as the starter. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jhonas Enroth will serve as the team’s third-string goaltender. He might be small but he is coming off a very impressive season with the Los Angeles Kings.
Overall Outlook
Sweden is arguably the second-best team at the World Cup of Hockey. They have no real weakness other than a relative lack of forward depth compared to Canada. Their blue line and Lundqvist should be enough for them to easily advance out of group play, especially since they don’t have to worry about Canada or the United States. They will play Russia on Sunday Sept. 18 at 3:00 PM EST. Sweden will play Finland on Tuesday Sept. 20 at 3:00 PM and Team North America at 3:00 PM on Wednesday Sept. 21.