Team USA and Sweden will face off on Wednesday (3:10 p.m. ET, NBC) in a quarterfinals bout at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The Swedes took care of business against Latvia on Tuesday, securing their place in the quarterfinals via a 5–1 win in the qualifying round.
Although the U.S. remains undefeated through its first three games in Milan, the Swedish team will be a difficult opponent. Sweden has an abundance of talent on its roster and has won three of its four games at the Olympics, with its only loss coming at the hands of a talented Finland squad in the preliminary rounds.
Let’s take a look at Sweden’s roster and its past games at this year’s Olympics, and in its history at the Games.
Sweden Olympic Ice Hockey History
The Swedish ice hockey team has a long and storied history at the Olympic Games. Sweden has sent an ice hockey team to the Winter Olympics every four years since the sport was added to the Games in Antwerp in 1920. The country has won gold twice, winning it all in 1994 at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and again in 2006 at the Games in Turin, Italy. In total, Sweden has nine medals at the Olympics and has participated in the Games 21 times.
Sweden hasn’t earned a medal of any kind since NHL players were prohibited from participating in the Olympics. Their last medal was a silver in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, and they’ll look to avoid going three consecutive Games without a medal since their poor run from 1968 to 1976.
Team Sweden’s Olympic Hockey Roster
Team Sweden has a potent attack, with NHL players across all four lines. Sweden is one of three nations at the Olympics with a men’s hockey roster consisting entirely of NHL talent.
| Player | Position | NHL Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jesper Bratt | Forward | New Jersey Devils |
| Joel Eriksson Ek | Forward | Minnesota Wild |
| Filip Forsberg | Forward | Nashville Predators |
| Pontus Holmberg | Forward | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Marcus Johansson | Forward | Minnesota Wild |
| Adrian Kempe | Forward | Los Angeles Kings |
| Gabriel Landeskog | Forward | Colorado Avalanche |
| Elias Lindholm | Forward | Boston Bruins |
| William Nylander | Forward | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Elias Pettersson | Forward | Vancouver Canucks |
| Rickard Rakell | Forward | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Lucas Raymond | Forward | Detroit Red Wings |
| Alexander Wennberg | Forward | San Jose Sharks |
| Mika Zibanejad | Forward | New York Rangers |
| Rasmus Andersson | Defenseman | Vegas Golden Knights |
| Philip Broberg | Defenseman | St. Louis Blues |
| Rasmus Dahlin | Defenseman | Buffalo Sabres |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Defenseman | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Gustav Forsling | Defenseman | Florida Panthers |
| Victor Hedman | Defenseman | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Erik Karlsson | Defenseman | San Jose Sharks |
| Hampus Lindholm | Defenseman | Boston Bruins |
| Filip Gustavsson | Goalie | Minnesota Wild |
| Jacob Markstrom | Goalie | New Jersey Devils |
| Jesper Wallstedt | Goalie | Minnesota Wild |
Sweden has done plenty of tinkering with its roster, including benching some of its more notable forwards, such as Filip Forsberg and Jesper Bratt, at various points throughout the Games. Lucas Raymond has enjoyed a sensational Olympics thus far, with eight points in his first four games, second most among all skaters, trailing only Connor McDavid. He’ll be a major threat on Wednesday against the U.S.
Mika Zibanejad and Rasmus Dahlin have both contributed five points apiece, while William Nylander, Adrian Kempe and Erik Karlsson all have four points.
Sweden at the Milan Cortina Olympics
Preliminary Round:
Game 1: Sweden 5, Italy 2
Goals: Landeskog, Forsling, Nylander, Zibanejad, Hedman
Game 2: Finland 4, Sweden 1
Goals: Dahlin
Game 3: Sweden 5, Slovakia 3
Goals: Eriksson Ek, Kempe, Pettersson (2), Raymond
Qualifying Round
Game 4: Sweden 5, Latvia 1
Goals: Kempe, Landeskog, Forsberg, Zibanejad, Nylander
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Team USA Men’s Hockey to Face Sweden in Olympic Quarterfinals: Here’s What to Know.
