2026 Milan Olympics Team Sweden Preview
Team Sweden looks loaded for the 2026 Olympics. See how our predictions stacked up, which surprises made the roster, and why this might be their year to chase gold.
This article is part of an ongoing series that follows up on Predicting Olympic Rosters as Chris, Roberto, and Chip take note of how their predictions match each countries official line up for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. To view more of the series go here.
Outside of Team Canada, the Swedes might have the best chance at coming out of Milan with a Gold Medal. After finishing third in the 4 Nations Face-Off, they'll look to maintain their status as a favorite for a medal while looking to compete with the favorites in Team Canada and Team USA. They get a huge boost with their captain Gabriel Landeskog making a return from long-term injury.
Team Sweden is one of two countries in the Olympics that is being represented by the New York Rangers, as Mika Zibanejad will lead the way down the middle. Tampa Bay Lightning star defenseman Victor Hedman spoke highly of Zibanejad's leadership and what he brings to the team in a recent interview with Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
What does #NYR Mika Zibanejad bring to Team Sweden's🇸🇪lineup?
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) February 9, 2026
"A lot," Victor Hedman said. "Not just the power play. His shot, but his leadership, too. His dedication to his two-way game. And that's a tremendous guy, too, as well, like all other Swedes. He's going to mean a lot.…
Chris (21 out of 25)
Forsberg - Zibanejad - Kempe
Bratt - Eriksson Ek - Nylander
Eklund - Carlsson - Raymond
Landeskog - Pettersson - Lindholm
Karlsson - Backlund - Rakell
Dahlin - Andersson
Brodin* - Hedman
Forsling - Karlsson
Ekholm - Broberg
Gustavsson - Markström - Ullmark
Pretty on-the-nose for the most part. I had 12 of the 14 forwards who made the team in my projected roster. The two I left off were Pontus Holmberg of the Tampa Bay Lightning and former friend Alex Wennberg of the San Jose Sharks who, honestly, both could pan out to be really great depth pieces for Team Sweden.
On defense, the only name from my projections that didn’t make the cut was Edmonton Oilers’ Mattias Ekholm. In his place, comes Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who's continuing to have a bit of a renaissance to his game as he brings a strong veteran presence to Toronto.
I love that Sweden has a true NHL goalie duo in Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt from the Minnesota Wild. The two of them along with Jacob Markstrom and a strong group on defense make for a complete team that couple seriously make some noise in this tournament. All the attention will be on USA and Canada, but Sweden could very well lead the charge here.
Chip (22 Out of 25)
Forsberg - Zibanejad - Nylander
Landeskog - Eriksson Ek - Kempe
Eklund - Carlsson* - Raymond
Bratt - Pettersson - Lindholm
Karlsson - Backlund - Rakell
Dahlin - Andersson
Karlsson - Hedman
Forsling - Brodin*
Ekholm - Broberg
Gustavsson - Markström - Ullmark
Sweden is my upset pick to come away with Gold. While Team USA and Team Canada are engaged in a competition to see who has the bigger dick, Team Sweden is going to rely on skill and solid play. Are they a little thin down the middle? Sure, as evidenced by the inclusion of Alex Wennberg. But they've got plenty of talent to work with. I think Mika goes off in this tournament and becomes the star of the show.
Roberto (22 out of 25)
Forsberg - Zibanejad - Kempe
Bratt - Carlsson* - Nylander
Landeskog- Eriksson Ek - Raymond
Eklund- Pettersson - Lindholm
Karlsson - Backlund - Rakell
Dahlin - Andersson
Forsling - Karlsson
Brodin* - Hedman
Lindholm* - Ekman-Larsson
Gustavsson - Ullmark- Wallstedt
Team Sweden is looking quite good on paper. They may not have the star power to push Canada off the top of the podium, but if they're not standing next to them, something seriously went wrong for the Swedes. Everyone loves a good comeback story and Oliver Ekman-Larsson is exactly that. It'll be interesting to see what role they give the veteran defenseman with other well known offensive defensemen part of this roster as well. Out of all the Rangers, I anticipate Zibanejad will have the most successful tournament. Maybe it'll help some folks appreciate him more when they see what he looks like next to similar high caliber players.
Team Sweden Preliminary Schedule
- Feb. 11, 2026, 3:10 p.m. ET vs. Team Italy
- Feb. 13, 2026, 6:10 a.m. ET vs. Team Finland
- Feb. 14, 2026, 6:10 a.m. ET vs. Team Slovakia
Predictions
Chris: This should be a clean sweep for the Swedes. I hope and expect Finland to give them a good game but Sweden should be undefeated coming out of the Preliminary Round.
Chip: The Swedes are my pick to win the Gold so I think they get through this round pretty easily with a 3-0 record. If it's not pretty easy then there are bigger problems for the Fish (get it, Swedish Fish?) and my prediction.
Roberto: If Sweden loses any of these three games, it's a bad sign. Finland will push them, with their heated rivalry sure to spark emotions, but Sweden is the better and deeper of the two Scandinavian teams.
