World Junior Championship Roster Prediction for Team Sweden 2025 – Hockey Writers – World Junior Hockey Championship

Last year's World Junior Championship (WJC) runners-up are back and ready to change the narrative this time around. After suffering a penalty in the 2024 final against the United States, Sweden is looking to continue its impressive history of international play and bring home another medal. Coming away with the medal three times in the last five years, Sweden, unfortunately, have not won the tournament since 2012 and look set to do so this year with a new face in their line-up.

Here is a projected list of forwards, defensemen, and goal scorers who could reach the final stage of the 2025 tournament. Let's take a look at which players may return and who may make their first appearances for the blue and yellow in Ottawa.

Swedish Team Players

Here's what their squad should look like heading into the tournament, with a number of familiar faces returning:

Sweden has many familiar faces returning to help lead the offense up top. The top line is important; they have a lot of experience and chemistry together. Otto Stenberg, David Edstrom, and Felix Unger Sorum are very familiar with each other, and will likely be relied upon heavily for goals. Edstrom is now part of the Nashville Predators organization after first being drafted by the Golden Knights before San Jose Sharks big man Thomas Hertl and later being dealt again this past summer as part of the Yaroslav Askarov trade with the Nashville Predators. In Sweden, he has three goals and nine assists for 12 points for Frolunda HC. He is an effective distributor of the puck, both in the offensive zone and on the breakaway. He supports his defenders on the floor, learns passing lanes, and closes the gap while carefully controlling puck battles.

Additionally, it's important to mention that Nashville teammate Felix Nilsson is off to a solid start in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with one goal and nine assists for 10 points in 15 games. He will be an important episode with Anton Wahlberg and Zeb Forsfjall. Wahlberg, a 2023 sophomore, had a strong start to his season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, with four goals and four assists for eight points.

Their top six teams will be without participants in the 2024 tournament, most notably Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who led the team in scoring with seven goals and three assists with 10 points. Noah Ostlund was second on the team in scoring with three goals and seven assists for 10 points and will be a key missing piece on this roster.

This is where another new addition to the list appears on the third line. Oskar Vuuollet, Anton Frondell, and Victor Eklund would make an interesting trio of third line players with their offensive and defensive abilities. Vuollet is constantly scanning and anticipating the flow of the play around him, whether it's knowing when to support a teammate or identifying an open spot as a shooter and timing his entry into that space.

Frondell and Eklund highlight this lineup as key players to watch in the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Frondell is considered by many to be a top five-to-10 pick and especially the second-best center in the program behind James Hagen of the United States. Victor Eklund, the brother of San Jose Shark William Ekland, is expected to be a top 10-15 player and one of the best forwards behind Canadians Roger McQueen and Malcolm Spence.

Their core includes Jack Berglund, Linus Eriksson and Herman Traff. They can be a very productive physical grinding line. With the puck, Berglund is decisive and patient, able to move the puck quickly or wait for plays to develop before making a decision. Eriksson is adept at spotting the right patterns to follow, using his strong physical presence to thrive on the boards. Effectively initiates contact to create separation during puck retrieval. The Traff forecheck has speed and stamina, constantly beating opponents and working hard to win back. He drives the puck to the net whenever possible, relying on his size, strength, and mobility in challenging situations.

The team Swedish Defensee

Sweden has always been known for one big thing: its defense, teamwork and culture. There isn't much difference between this year's defensive pairings and last year's. Here's how it should go down in this year's competition:

Sweden has several key players returning from its 2024 silver medal team on defense. Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Theo Lindstein, and Tom Willander are expected to provide the best defensive back four in the tournament. Sweden's defensive strength, which helps the attack, will continue to shine this year, as the famous players return for another year.

Lindstein led all defensemen in scoring at last year's event. He is safe, calm, and skilled with his cane. He makes simple, logical decisions and uses some deception to create holes when necessary. He maintains a good gap and approaches the boards aggressively. He joins the attack and plays hard with the puck. Sandin-Pellikka started the SHL well, with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points, leading Skelleftea AIK in points and assists. He has strong puck skills, excellent playmaking skills, a powerful shot, and the ability to navigate the offensive blue line effectively. These qualities make him a legitimate scoring threat when he has the puck. Additionally, he excels at quickly evaluating options and making plays while running on the ice.

Willander, the 11th pick in the 2023 draft, offers a two-way game that should allow him to play significant minutes in this tournament. He is always involved in the defensive game, using his dynamic stance and quick footwork to direct attackers away from the zone and disrupt plays along the boards. Along with his strength and physical strength, he relentlessly competes for every puck, making him a formidable opponent. Fransén is an attacking defenseman who uses his strong skating skills to create offense during rushes and layups. His mobility allows him to link plays effectively from the defensive to the attacking position as he passes quickly, repositions, and attacks spaces. He will pair well with Willander's two-way game.

Leo Sahlin Wallenius, a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, is a sound puck distributor and effective zone defender. His defensive skating allows him to match the speed of opponents in the open area with ease, contain himself effectively, and stay close to the boards. His constant scanning of the ice allows him to disrupt scoring opportunities as he progresses. When paired with Wilhelm Hallquist, they could be another solid two-way pairing to an already deep defensive end that can produce offensively and defend with ease.

Sweden Team Goals

Sweden took a hit with their starter last year not playing this year, but they have some exciting players who could step up. Here's what it could look like in 2025:

The Swedish goalkeeping situation is changing a bit with new faces. Hugo Havelid will not be there this year, which is a big setback for the team as they finished with . 915 save percentage (SV%) and 1.77 goals against average (GAA). However, Sweden will have some talented netizens in this tournament.

The starter should be Melker Thelin, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft of the Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Hockey Club. With IF Bjorkloven in the HockeyAllsvenskan league in Sweden, he has a 6-1-0 record, .909 SV%, and 2.25 GAA.

As for backup, it will be Marcus Gidlof, a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft; Gidlöf's post-match skills are impressive, and he is more effective in VH's reverse position than most goalies under six feet tall. This technique makes him a formidable presence for shooters. He effectively transitions to the top of the crease when pucks are played behind the net, leaving shooters with very few options. Currently splitting time with Leksands IFJ20 and Leksands IF in the SHL, he has a combined record of 11-1-0.

Sweden is always a challenging team to compete against in this tournament. While their forward line may be weaker than teams like Canada and the United States, their defense and scoring are consistently among the best. They are a well-coached team with a strong attacking and defensive system that is deeply rooted in their culture, regardless of who they put on their roster. Look for Sweden to challenge for the medal next year.

Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter