After just three points in five Worlds games last year, Elias Pettersson starred as a Vancouver Canucks rookie and could take Slovakia by storm.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
This is Sweden’s big chance. The two-time defending World Champions are looking to become the first nation to three-peat since the Czech Republic (1999-2001). Canada has come awfully close twice (2003-04 gold, 2005 silver), and the Russians did likewise once (2008-09 gold, 2010 silver). Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, it’s become increasingly difficult for one nation to dominate this tournament. What will 2019 bring for the men in blue and yellow?
Goal
Once, Henrik Lundqvist was both Sweden’s undisputed starter and the NHL’s biggest workhorse. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist with the New York Rangers played a club-record 73 games in 2009-10. But times have changed. Lundqvist, who led the Swedes to Worlds gold in 2017, has seen his game erode over time, and the 37-year-old’s 3.07 GAA and 90.6 save percentage in 52 games are all worsts for him in a full NHL season. However, watch for King Henrik’s pride to kick in here.
Meanwhile, Jacob Markstrom played 60 games this year to lead all Swedish NHL goalies. Although his Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs for the third straight year, the 29-year-old reinvented his game under goalie coach Ian Clark, and could push to be the medal round starter. Despite being involved in a nasty collision with Finland’s Juhani Tyrvainen in a 2-1 win on May 5 at the Carlson Hockey Games, Markstrom should be good to go for Slovakia.
Former NHLer Jhonas Enroth, who transferred from the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk to the SHL’s Orebro HK this season, is the third goalie. And considering he backstopped Tre Kronor to the historic, “home ice curse”-ending 2013 gold medal in Stockholm, that’s one helluva trio.
Defence
This is not the 2017 powerhouse defence that included elite all-around talents like Victor Hedman and John Klingberg and then-thriving shutdown stalwarts like Anton Stralman and Jonas Brodin. However, it’s still a pleasing blend of mobility and power.
Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson is back for his third consecutive Worlds, and his 44 points this season equalled his second-highest NHL total. The 27-year-old will be a power play lynchpin, as will third-year NHLer Erik Gustafsson of the Chicago Blackhawks, whose career-high 60 points represented one of the league’s most stunning breakouts.
No one can question Marcus Pettersson’s health and endurance, as he played a whopping 84 games this season – harkening back to the long NHL schedule of 1992-93 and 1993-94 – after the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him from Anaheim. For the second year in a row, Adam Larsson of the Edmonton Oilers will look to mitigate an underwhelming NHL season with a World Championship gold medal.
Forward
Sweden’s 43 goals last year were the most it had scored in 27 years, equalling the output of the golden 1991 team in Finland. Will this year’s squad fill the net that much? Dubious. Will it still be a threat every night. Absolutely. Men named Elias will be the key.
Elias Pettersson, the likely Calder Trophy winner with a Canucks rookie record of 66 points, slowed down later in the season. Yet the 20-year-old former SHL MVP has proven to be one of the NHL’s most electrifying stickhandlers, shooters, and playmakers, and he will be hard to stop on the familiar big ice, running the power play from the right half-wall (and wherever else he chooses). In his sixth NHL season and first with the Calgary Flames, Elias Lindholm finally delivered on the promise he showed when the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him fifth overall in 2013. With 78 points, this talented centre will give Sweden’s rivals fits.
Beyond those two, it’s a mixture of hard work with flashes of skill. An eight-time 20-goal scorer, Pittsburgh’s Patric Hornqvist finished below that plateau for the first time in his NHL career, but the constantly fired-up right winger will be eager to win back-to-back World Championships after earning back-to-back Stanley Cups. Journeyman Marcus Kruger of the Chicago Blackhawks was on the 2017 team and also brings winning know-how from his Cups in 2013 and 2015. Loui Eriksson, Elias Pettersson’s teammate, has languished in Vancouver and is looking to recapture the spark that saw him score 30 goals twice and capture gold in 2013.
Coaching
If this is Rikard Gronborg’s swan song behind the Swedish bench before he takes an NHL job, he’ll want to end on a high note. The 50-year-old Huddinge native has a well-deserved reputation as a communicator who is flexible and respects his players and their creativity. It’s paid off in IIHF hardware.
While Sweden always emphasizes a team game, much will be riding this year on how Gronborg deploys Elias Pettersson, who was left off the 2018 Olympic roster and only played five World Championship games last year before getting injured. The presence of long-time assistants Johan Garpenlov, who will replace Gronborg next season, and Peter Popovic, who is moving on to Farjestads BK, provides continuity and structure for this group.
Projected Results
Except in net, the 2019 edition of Tre Kronor is not quite as formidable as its two World Championship predecessors. The Swedes will face stiff competition from Russia, the U.S., and Canada in the race for gold. Anything less than a medal would be a disappointment, but there is a good chance this year’s medal won’t be quite as pretty. Incidentally, the last time this tournament took place in Slovakia, Sweden settled for silver after a 6-1 final loss to archrival Finland.
Goal
Once, Henrik Lundqvist was both Sweden’s undisputed starter and the NHL’s biggest workhorse. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist with the New York Rangers played a club-record 73 games in 2009-10. But times have changed. Lundqvist, who led the Swedes to Worlds gold in 2017, has seen his game erode over time, and the 37-year-old’s 3.07 GAA and 90.6 save percentage in 52 games are all worsts for him in a full NHL season. However, watch for King Henrik’s pride to kick in here.
Meanwhile, Jacob Markstrom played 60 games this year to lead all Swedish NHL goalies. Although his Vancouver Canucks missed the playoffs for the third straight year, the 29-year-old reinvented his game under goalie coach Ian Clark, and could push to be the medal round starter. Despite being involved in a nasty collision with Finland’s Juhani Tyrvainen in a 2-1 win on May 5 at the Carlson Hockey Games, Markstrom should be good to go for Slovakia.
Former NHLer Jhonas Enroth, who transferred from the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk to the SHL’s Orebro HK this season, is the third goalie. And considering he backstopped Tre Kronor to the historic, “home ice curse”-ending 2013 gold medal in Stockholm, that’s one helluva trio.
Defence
This is not the 2017 powerhouse defence that included elite all-around talents like Victor Hedman and John Klingberg and then-thriving shutdown stalwarts like Anton Stralman and Jonas Brodin. However, it’s still a pleasing blend of mobility and power.
Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson is back for his third consecutive Worlds, and his 44 points this season equalled his second-highest NHL total. The 27-year-old will be a power play lynchpin, as will third-year NHLer Erik Gustafsson of the Chicago Blackhawks, whose career-high 60 points represented one of the league’s most stunning breakouts.
No one can question Marcus Pettersson’s health and endurance, as he played a whopping 84 games this season – harkening back to the long NHL schedule of 1992-93 and 1993-94 – after the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired him from Anaheim. For the second year in a row, Adam Larsson of the Edmonton Oilers will look to mitigate an underwhelming NHL season with a World Championship gold medal.
Forward
Sweden’s 43 goals last year were the most it had scored in 27 years, equalling the output of the golden 1991 team in Finland. Will this year’s squad fill the net that much? Dubious. Will it still be a threat every night. Absolutely. Men named Elias will be the key.
Elias Pettersson, the likely Calder Trophy winner with a Canucks rookie record of 66 points, slowed down later in the season. Yet the 20-year-old former SHL MVP has proven to be one of the NHL’s most electrifying stickhandlers, shooters, and playmakers, and he will be hard to stop on the familiar big ice, running the power play from the right half-wall (and wherever else he chooses). In his sixth NHL season and first with the Calgary Flames, Elias Lindholm finally delivered on the promise he showed when the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him fifth overall in 2013. With 78 points, this talented centre will give Sweden’s rivals fits.
Beyond those two, it’s a mixture of hard work with flashes of skill. An eight-time 20-goal scorer, Pittsburgh’s Patric Hornqvist finished below that plateau for the first time in his NHL career, but the constantly fired-up right winger will be eager to win back-to-back World Championships after earning back-to-back Stanley Cups. Journeyman Marcus Kruger of the Chicago Blackhawks was on the 2017 team and also brings winning know-how from his Cups in 2013 and 2015. Loui Eriksson, Elias Pettersson’s teammate, has languished in Vancouver and is looking to recapture the spark that saw him score 30 goals twice and capture gold in 2013.
Coaching
If this is Rikard Gronborg’s swan song behind the Swedish bench before he takes an NHL job, he’ll want to end on a high note. The 50-year-old Huddinge native has a well-deserved reputation as a communicator who is flexible and respects his players and their creativity. It’s paid off in IIHF hardware.
While Sweden always emphasizes a team game, much will be riding this year on how Gronborg deploys Elias Pettersson, who was left off the 2018 Olympic roster and only played five World Championship games last year before getting injured. The presence of long-time assistants Johan Garpenlov, who will replace Gronborg next season, and Peter Popovic, who is moving on to Farjestads BK, provides continuity and structure for this group.
Projected Results
Except in net, the 2019 edition of Tre Kronor is not quite as formidable as its two World Championship predecessors. The Swedes will face stiff competition from Russia, the U.S., and Canada in the race for gold. Anything less than a medal would be a disappointment, but there is a good chance this year’s medal won’t be quite as pretty. Incidentally, the last time this tournament took place in Slovakia, Sweden settled for silver after a 6-1 final loss to archrival Finland.