2026 Olympic Preview: Sweden

Roster

Each player's jersey number is in parentheses.

Forwards: Hilda Svensson (8), Josefin Bouveng (11), Lisa Johansson (15), Sofie Lundin (17), Sara Hjalmarsson (19), Hanna Thuvik (22), Thea Johansson (23), Ebba Hedqvist (24), Lina Ljungblom (25), Hanna Olsson (26), Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz (29), Mira Hallin (34), Nicole Hall (89)

Defenders: Linnéa Andersson (4), Jessica Adolfsson (6), Mira Jungåker (7), Maja Nylén Persson (12), Ida Karlsson (14), Jenna Raunio (55), Anna Kjellbin (71)

Goaltenders: Ebba Svensson Träff (1), Emma Söderberg (30), Tindra Holm (35)

How They Got Here

The top six teams in the IIHF World Rankings, as well as host Italy, automatically qualified for the 2026 Olympic tournament. Sweden was not one of those six. Sure, it may look like they are on the website, but then you scroll all the way down to the pesky "Not Participating" section, see Russia with just 60 more points than Sweden, and quickly realize that Damkronorna were forced to play their way into Milan.

Sweden headlined Group H in the final round of Olympic qualifying, hosting Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, and they didn't give any of them an inch in Gävle. The Swedes decisively punched their ticket to February's Games with 3-0, 5-0, and 8-0 shutouts, respectively. Sara Hjalmarsson, Lisa Johansson, and Sofie Lundin led the way with five points apiece, while Emma Söderberg put up two clean sheets with the third courtesy of Ida Boman, absent from this roster.

Last Olympics

Sweden finished Beijing 2022's group stage with a record of 2-0-0-2, with victories against Denmark and China and defeats at the hands of Czechia and Japan. They netted seven goals in those four games, tied for the fewest in group play with both the teams they dispatched. Lundin, Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz, Maja Nylén Persson, and the now-absent Mina Waxin all had two points to tie for the team lead, and Söderberg recorded both of Sweden's wins with a .913 SV%.

A third-place finish in Group B left the Swedes with eventual gold-medalist Canada in the quarterfinals, who unceremoniously eliminated them via an 11-0 blowout. All told, Sweden finished 8th in their previous Olympic appearance.

Storyline: Entering a New Era Early?

It's now been 20 years since Sweden went on their memorable run to the final in Torino. They haven't medalled since. With the Games held in Italy once again, it would be oh-so-poetic for the one who led them there in '06 to come back and do the same in a different capacity, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Longtime national team captain Erika Holst was announced as the next head coach of Sweden, succeeding Ulf Lundberg, but she'll take the reins after the conclusion of the Games. Holst, a two-time Olympic medalist as a player, recently coached Frölunda HC to an SDHL championship along with another Swedish legend serving as general manager; recent IIHF Hall of Fame inductee Kim Martin-Hasson.

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With a title already under her belt and a now-steady influx of young talent for her to work with, Holst looks set to take the national program back to the heights she, Martin-Hasson, Maria Rooth, and co. reached two decades ago. But could Sweden make it there before Holst does?

If they do, these two budding stars are going to have a lot to do with it.

Two Players to Watch

Hilda Svensson (F, Ohio State, WCHA/NCAA)

Svensson is leading the Buckeyes in scoring as a freshman. Let me repeat that. Hilda Svensson is leading The Ohio State Buckeyes, the #2 team in the nation boasting offensive threats like Joy Dunne and Jocelyn Amos, in scoring, in her first year of North American hockey. Her 42 points across 24 games at the time of writing are good for a share of third in the NCAA, behind only future slam-dunk PWHL top picks Abbey Murphy and Caroline Harvey.

"[Hilda's] so skilled. Even though she was only 16 years old [at the 2023 World Championships], she was our top scorer," Nylén Persson said, when asked about playing alongside Svensson. "These talented players have more tournaments under their belt... They're ready to show off now in the Olympics too, and I think that will give us, as a team, a big boost."

Sweden's scoring troubles in Beijing were touched upon earlier, with their seven goals as a team on equal footing with the likes of China and Denmark, neither of whom qualified this time around. Svensson, meanwhile, may well get seven by herself in Milan.

Ebba Svensson Träff (G, Linköping HC, SDHL)

I'd say I spoke at length about Svensson Träff's play when I checked in on Linköping earlier in the season, but there really wasn't much to tell. Her play did the talking for me.

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In addition to her outstanding performance domestically, the 21-year-old is beginning to win the favour of the national team brass, and deservedly so. Svensson Träff got the nod for four of Sweden's last six Euro Hockey Tour contests, going 3-0-1-0 with a .943 SV%. Two of those three victories were against Group A teams that iced lineups near-identical to what they'll be in Milan. Svensson Träff can steal a game like no other, and in a tournament as short as this, that's dangerous. Don't be surprised if she takes the lion's share of starts from the incumbent #1, Söderberg.

What Does Success Look Like?

A medal. It's certainly within the realm of possibility. Playing out of Group B, though, Sweden's guaranteed a top-three Group A finisher in the quarterfinals. If there's an upset in either group, it could very well be Canada or the U.S. If not, they'll need to get through two of Finland, Czechia, and Switzerland, all of whom they've kept pace with as of late, to secure bronze. Doable, yes, but the safe guess is that Sweden finishes atop Group B and bows out in the quarters, and I'd rather be pleasantly surprised.

Predicted Finish: 6th