When Sweden was relegated at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey Women's World Championship - and their archrival Finland went all the way to the final against the US and lost in a penalty shootout in Espoo – the pessimists in the country were ready to declare Swedish women’s hockey dead.

Those people probably missed how good Sweden had been at the U18 Women's Worlds even before 2019. Just the year before, the U18 national team had made history by winning silver in the tournament. That team included talents such as Maja Nylen Persson and Lina Ljungblom, both PWHL players today. 

In 2022, the Swedes lost to Finland in the bronze medal gam. And in 2023, they upset Team USA in the semi-final and played in the final for the second time in six years. 

And last year, Sweden won the Youth Olympic Games, just like the players, born in 2000 and 2001, who grabbed that first U18 final berth. Eight players from the 2024 gold medal team are in Finland this year, and Ebba Westerlind scored the OT winner in the game against Finland to open the 2024 U18 Women's Worlds.

In the Swedes’ game against the US - a 3-0 loss, with an empty-netter – the Americans were just a half a step ahead, despite the Swedes’ size advantage. One sign of the steps Swedish hockey has taken in recent years was that head coach Andreas Karlsson and his players didn’t take the loss with a shrug. 

“We came here to win today, but even though we created chances, we need to be better at getting to the high-danger areas," said Karlsson. "They play with high intensity, and we couldn’t quite match it today. But it was a good test for us.”

And getting to that level of intensity comes down to creating good habits at home, according to the coach.

 “Every practice should have this intensity. Our players also need more and tougher games, to learn to win the duels, to get the pic out of the zone when it really matters."

Fortunately for Karlsson, and Swedish hockey, their domestic league is a good place to learn those habits. 

“In the last few years, our SDHL has helped bring up new players, and it’s been fun to see,” Karlsson said.
"A little more than half the team have spent most of the season playing in the SDHL, and a couple more have split their time in the top league and the second-tier division, the NDHL."

The Swedish league is generally considered the best in Europe, and the federation’s decision to have very lax import quotas has been beneficial. In a lineup of 22 players, just 10 players have to be “trained” in Sweden – in other words, to have played in Sweden for more than three seasons before they turned 21. So the SDHL has attracted a lot of talent from both North America and the rest of Europe. 

The decision to allow bodychecks – although not in the north-south direction – has also brought a new, physical element to the league. In Vantaa, it’s been obvious that the Swedes are used to battling for the puck and going to the corners expecting to be hit. 

“We want to play a physical brand of hockey," said Karlsson. "I think that’s the best kind. Our players are used to it now. If you look at how the game is played in the US colleges or the PWHL, you’ll see that the level of intensity is high."

The 2024 tournament has also shown that all teams know how to be disciplined. Blowouts are hard to come by. 

“Scoring goals is hard," said Karlsson. "Every team knows how to defend, and the goalies are great. We knew in our first game that Finland was going to be compact and defend the middle, and that it would be hard to get to the high-danger areas."

International tournaments are always short, but the U18 Women’s Worlds really go by quickly. Two games in two days, then an off day before the last group stage game. 

“The upside is that I won’t have any problems motivating the players,” Karlsson concluded with a smile.