BOSTON — Team Sweden did not lose in regulation during the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Swedes beat Team USA on Monday, albeit in a zero-meaning game for both teams, by a 2-1 score. Samuel Ersson, who did not make the initial roster, stopped 31 of 32 shots to give Sweden some swagger heading into the 2026 Olympics.
Sweden, in other words, was not far off.
“Overall, we’re OK with our performance this tournament,” said coach Sam Hallam. “The Canada game, we grew into it and showed we can play really good hockey against a tough team in a tough building to play against a whole nation. We’re disappointed with our game against Finland. Full credit to them — the way they battled and played that game. They were smart tactically. They deserved to win it in the end. Which put us into this game. Three games, no losses in regulation. But still, we’re in third place. The general feeling is that we like a lot of what we do. We want to be a bit better.”
The Swedes showed they should be in good shape come next year. They have foundational players in the sweet spots of their careers. They have kids like 20-year-old Leo Carlsson, who made his tournament debut on Monday, pushing veterans.
But Sweden will be built again around Victor Hedman, their ageless captain. The 34-year-old led the team by averaging 25:19 of ice time per game. Hedman is doing a fine job of succeeding Nicklas Lidstrom, Sweden’s previous peerless do-it-all defenseman. Even one year later, Hedman projects to be a minutes-munching shutdown presence who should push the pace and help on the No. 2 power-play unit.
As for his future surroundings, Hedman likes what he sees.
“To end with a win against the U.S. on U.S. soil is a big boost for us and is a building block for us,” said the Swedish captain. “There’s a lot of players on this team that’s going to be on that team in Milano next year. For us to get together, get to know each other, (and) get to know the coaching staff a little bit more was huge for us. It was a great experience.”
Sweden’s back-end issue is how Hedman has graybeard company. Mattias Ekholm is also 34. Unlike Hedman, Ekholm averaged only 15:05 of ice time per game. He was the extra defenseman in the Monday morning skate. Only illnesses holding out Mika Zibanejad and Rickard Rakell put Ekholm back in uniform as the No. 7 defenseman. Ekholm played just 9:42 against the U.S. and did not look like he was comfortable with the tournament’s pace.
Erik Karlsson, another 34-year-old, has more juice in his legs than Ekholm. But Karlsson’s most dynamic days are behind him. He will have to rely even more on his processing power to keep up with Olympic opponents.
“It’s a good experience for everyone in here to have a game like that,” Karlsson said. “Hopefully next time we play them, it’s going to be in a do-or-die situation and we can rely on this experience we had today and hopefully be a little more comfortable out there.”
While his defense could be in transition, Hallam will have go-to players up front. Joel Eriksson Ek does not play a highlight-style game. But he proved to be the type of center coaches love: reliable in every situation, hard on pucks, dependable defensively, and able to adapt his game to whoever is on his wing. Eriksson Ek had one goal and one assist while averaging 19:44 of ice time per game. The 28-year-old will be a go-to player in the Olympics.
“He’s a workhorse,” Hallam said. “He drives the game offensively too, winning a lot of pucks. Game like this, I don’t know how many faceoffs he ended up taking in the defensive zone, how many defensive-zone starts. But you just rely on him. You can put him out there in any situation, pair him up with any kind of wings and he always brings it. His line is always going.”
Jesper Bratt and Adrian Kempe also proved to be credible two-way wings. Bratt scored the winning goal against the Americans by cutting into high-danger ice and roofing a shot over Jake Oettinger. Bratt, 26, uses his agility to create scoring chances while Kempe, 28, is more of a straight-line rush player.
But the Swedes will have to get more from William Nylander, Elias Pettersson and Filip Forsberg next year. Nylander is Sweden’s only forward with the game-breaking ability of peers such as Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. He had some looks in the tournament. But not enough.
Pettersson finished with zero points in three games. He moved to left wing against the USA. It didn’t help. Pettersson played just 9:54 and was nothing close to the player he’s been in previous seasons with the Vancouver Canucks.
Sweden’s high-end players have something to prove in the Olympics.
“The Three Crowns has a lot to look forward to,” Hedman said. “World Championships at home. Olympics, World Cups moving forward.”
(Top photo of Team Sweden celebrating after defeating Team USA: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)
