After USA Hockey announced its preliminary roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship at the beginning of the month, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association became the next gold medal contender to follow suit. Unlike the host country, though, Sweden released a 26-man list and therefore only has one cut to make before the tournament kicks off on Dec. 26 at the Wild’s Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul and 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, home to the University of Minnesota men’s team. Their roster is as follows:
F Jack Berglund (Flyers, 2024, 2-51)
F Viggo Björck (2026 draft eligible)
F Wilson Björck (Canucks, 2025, 5-143)
F Liam Danielsson (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
F Victor Eklund (Islanders, 2025, 1-16)
F Linus Eriksson (Panthers, 2024, 2-58)
F Anton Frondell (Blackhawks, 2025, 1-3)
F Milton Gästrin (Capitals, 2025, 2-37)
F Eddie Genborg (Red Wings, 2025, 2-44)
F Casper Juustovaara Karlsson (2026 draft eligible)
F Loke Krantz (Kraken, 2025, 7-218)
F Valter Lindberg (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
F Eric Nilson (Ducks, 2025, 2-45)
F Lucas Pettersson (Ducks, 2024, 2-35)
F Ivar Stenberg (2026 draft eligible)
D Sascha Boumedienne (Jets, 2025, 1-28)
D Felix Carell (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
D Alfons Freij (Jets, 2024, 2-37)
D Viggo Gustafsson (Predators, 2024, 3-77)
D William Håkansson (2026 draft eligible)
D Victor Johansson (Maple Leafs, 2024, 4-120)
D Felix Öhrqvist (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
D Leo Sahlin Wallenius (Sharks, 2024, 2-53)
G Måns Goos (Stars, 2025, 5-158)
G Love Härenstam (Blues, 2025, 6-179)
G Herman Liv (undrafted in 2024, 2025)
At forward, the Swedes are arguably bringing more true star power to the event than the Americans, who are seeking a three-peat. While the Bruins’ James Hagens is the only top-10 pick on the States’ roster, Sweden could have three – the reigning third-overall selection in Frondell, plus Stenberg and Björck, both of whom should hear their names called early on the first night of next year’s draft. Björck’s stock has slipped somewhat this year, but Stenberg’s has only risen to the point where he’s a legitimate challenger for first overall. With 23 points in 24 SHL games for Frölunda, he’s operating at the third-highest point-per-game pace all-time for an 18-year-old in that league behind Tomas Sandström and Markus Näslund. He and Frondell will form the centerpiece of Sweden’s attack.
The talent level drops off somewhat on the back end. They don’t have the top-15 talents like Axel Sandin Pellikka and Tom Willander that they’ve had at their disposal over the past couple of years. Boumedienne now takes the reins as their most high-profile name, along with the draft-eligible Håkansson, a 6’4″ lefty who most have pegged as a late first-round pick.
In goal, the Swedes have an open competition for the starters’ crease – in a good way. Härenstam and Liv are both off to great starts this season as starters for their respective teams in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier pro league. It would be quite a story for the undrafted Liv to emerge as the No. 1 option, considering his last start for the Swedes at a major international tournament was at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. However, it’s looking like that could be the case. With a .923 SV% in 12 games for Almtuna IS, he’s second in the league. The 19-year-old is the son of former SHL and KHL star and Red Wings prospect Stefan Liv, who died in the 2011 plane crash that killed 26 players and three staff of the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
While Sweden has lost just four times in regulation in the group stage at the WJC since 2012, they haven’t won a gold medal in that span. In the past 13 tournaments, they’ve won silver four times (2013, 2014, 2018, 2024) and bronze twice (2020, 2022).