Jan 04, 2026
3 min read
Holmberg, Wennberg also goes to Milan;they will play the first match on February 12
Sweden released their list for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, naming the team that will try to bring the country its first gold medal since 2006 in Turin.
This is similar to the group that played in the 4 Nations Face-Off roster, with a few changes.Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche, Pontus Holmberg of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Alexander Wenberg of the San Jose Sharks join the group up front.Viktor Arvidsson (Boston "Bruins") and Gustav Nyqvist (Winnipeg "Jets"), who played in the 4 Nations, did not make the team.
"Two strong skaters and useful players, able to play both as centers and as forwards: both tactically very smart players," Sweden coach Sam Hallam said of Holmberg and Wenberg. "I know Pontus very well, he is a little bit of a pot-bellied pig when it comes to his physical game. He did well in Toronto, but he has taken wide strides in Tampa's checking game, he really shows how strong he is: it's incredibly difficult to face him. And Alexander Wennberg is a player who puts his feet right all the time. He knows what to do and he's a very useful player; Alex made a good impression in the Worlds in Stockholm last year."
Defensively, Philipp Broberg of the St. Louis Blues and Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Toronto Maple Leafs join the squad, while Matthias Ekholm of the Edmonton Oilers is absent from the 4 Nations squad.
Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was named to the preliminary roster but is currently out due to elbow surgery.Most likely, he will return to the Olympics.
"There are two ways to go: First, someone from the current staff can take his place and position, and second, we replace him from the outside," Hallam said."In that case, there are several names. We follow Victor closely and it feels safe to know that he is doing everything he can to play in Milan. He is a very important part of our team."
The goalies are Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) and Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators) from the 4-Nation team.
"Jesper has come on fast this year and is still playing well," Hallam said."It's nice to have a goalkeeper tandem in Minnesota (as well as Filip Gustavsson): they know each other's routines and can support each other like Minnesota.
"And don't forget [Jakob Markström]; he's the kind of goalie who can step right in and win any game. All the best goalies are a force in Swedish hockey right now and this proves that we're doing the right thing at home."
This is the first group of players to represent Sweden at the Olympics since 2014, when they last participated.
"Obviously it's a huge honor. It's great," said Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson, who won the silver medal with Sweden at the 2014 Sochi Olympics."I'm so happy. I'm excited. And it's been a long time coming."
The tournament will see the 12 teams play three preliminary matches in their respective groups.
The three-group winner and best second-placed team will receive a berth in the quarter-finals;The other eight teams will play single-elimination games to determine the other four quarterfinalists.The gold medal match will be held on February 22.
Sweden in Group B will face Italy on February 11, Finland on February 13 and Slovakia on February 14.
Here is the list of Sweden's team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina (in alphabetical order) and the division by group:
