Sweden is coming off a bronze-medal finish at the 2022 World Juniors. While the country has racked up the third-most medals in World Juniors history with 20, the Swedes have only been able to secure gold twice and have not done so since 2012.
The team is facing another tough test at the 2023 World Juniors. They are one of the top-four favorites to win the tournament, but there are already some concerns regarding the roster.
Sweden released its roster for the 2023 World Juniors earlier this month, and one name was noticeably missing. Simon Edvinsson, the No. 6 pick from the 2021 draft, will not be in the Maritimes for the tournament. The top Swedish defenseman elected to pass on the tournament, instead staying in Grand Rapids with the Red Wings' AHL team.
In addition, Sweden is without defensemen Elias Salomonsson and Mattias Hävelid, who both are out due to injuries. That leaves Sweden's blue line without three players who could have played top minutes.
There's a lot to like about the forward group, including the Djurgårdens IF trio of Liam Öhgren, Noah Östlund and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, all first-round selections in 2022. One name to keep an eye on is Leo Carlsson, a big, skilled center who is anticipated to contend for a top-five pick at the 2023 NHL Draft. While offense was Sweden's weakness at the 2022 tournament, it shouldn't handicap the team as much in the winter.
There is no Jesper Wallstedt in net this time around for Sweden, as the Wild prospect aged out of the tournament. He won Best Goalie honors at the 2022 World Juniors. That leaves the net likely to be tended for a majority of the time by Carl Lindbom, a Vegas draft pick.
MORE: Watch the 2022 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Here is everything you need to know about Team Sweden at the 2023 World Juniors, including their roster, schedule and results of their games.
Team Sweden 2023 World Juniors roster
Forwards
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Filip Bystedt | Sharks (2022 1st round) |
| 21 | Leo Carlsson | 2023 draft eligible |
| 24 | Jonathan Lekkerimaki | Canucks (2022 1st round) |
| 11 | Fabian Lysell | Bruins (2021 1st round) |
| 25 | Milton Oscarson | Undrafted |
| 20 | Liam Öhgren | Wild (2022 1st round) |
| 12 | Noah Östlund | Sabres (2022 1st round) |
| 27 | Oskar Pettersson | Senators (2022 3rd round) |
| 28 | Simon Robertsson | Blues (2021 3rd round) |
| 19 | Isak Rosén | Sabres (2021 1st round) |
| 26 | Victor Stjernborg | Blackhawks (2021 4th round) |
| 23 | William Strömgren | Flames (2021 2nd round) |
| 10 | Fabian Wagner | Jets (2022 6th round) |
Defensemen
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Adam Engström | Canadiens (2022 3rd round) |
| 9 | Ludvig Jansson | Panthers (2022 4th round) |
| 15 | Jakob Norén | Undrafted |
| 7 | Calle Odelius | Islanders (2022 2nd round) |
| 2 | Elias Pettersson | Canucks (2022 3rd round) |
| 4 | Axel Sandin Pellikka | 2023 draft eligible |
| 5 | Victor Sjöholm | Undrafted |
Goalies
| No. | Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Blomquist | Undrafted |
| 30 | Marcus Brännman | Undrafted |
| 35 | Carl Lindbom | Golden Knights (2021 7th round) |
When do the 2023 World Juniors start?
- Start date: December 26, 2022
- End date: January 5, 2023
With the 2023 tournament starting at the normal time of the year, that means the competition kicks off the day after Christmas, December 26.
The group stage starts will take place over the first six days. The quarterfinals will be played on Jan. 2, the semifinals on Jan. 4 and the tournament will conclude with the bronze and gold medal games on Jan. 5.
Team Sweden World Juniors schedule
The format for the 2023 World Junior Championship consists of two groups of five teams playing a preliminary round-robin to determine seeding, followed by a single-elimination tournament.
Sweden drew into Group A. The team was joined by Canada, Czechia, Germany and Austria in the group.
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Time (ET) | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26 | Austria | W, 11-0 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 27 | Germany | W, 1-0 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 29 | Czechia | W, 3-2 (OT) | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 31 | Canada | L, 5-1 | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 2 | Finland (Quarterfinals) | W, 3-2 | FINAL | TSN, ESPN+ |
| Jan. 4 | Czechia (Semifinals) | L, 2-1 (OT) | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 5 | USA (Bronze-Medal Game) | — | 2:30 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
How to watch 2023 World Juniors games on TV, live stream
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): fuboTV
TSN and the NHL Network will once again be home to all of the action for the 2023 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or can stream the games through TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through fuboTV.
2023 World Juniors odds
According to Sports Interaction, the 2023 tournament is a four-horse race.
Canada, Finland, the United States and Sweden are the clear frontrunners to win this year's tournament, with the Canadians holding the best odds at -125.
Here are the odds entering the 2023 tournament.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Canada | -125 |
| USA | +338 |
| Finland | +419 |
| Sweden | +625 |
| Czechia | +1641 |
| Slovakia | +4676 |
| Switzerland | +6430 |
| Germany | +11600 |
| Latvia | +50000 |
| Austria | +50000 |
