Team Sweden
William Nylander
Nylander is the only lock to represent Sweden at the 2022 Olympics. He will either find himself on the first or second line, but will be a key contributor if Sweden is going to win another Olympic Gold Medal.
If he’s paired up on a line with Elias Pettersson or Gabriel Landeskog, that will definitely be fun to watch when the Olympics come around in two years.
Andreas Johnsson
Although he’s far from a lock to make the team, the way his game is currently progressing, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t part of the team.
Johnsson is a proven 20-goal scorer in the NHL and can play a shut-down third line role if needed as well.
He was the 13th highest Swedish goal-scorer in the NHL in the 2018-19 season, but by 2022, I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked the top-10 and played his way onto the Olympics team.
Rasmus Sandin
Led by Victor Hedman, Team Sweden is very strong defensively and obviously if the tournament started today, Sandin would be too raw to make the roster.
However, veteran defensemen Anton Stralman and Alex Edler will be two years older by the time the Olympics come around, which could make room for Sandin.
This is definitely the biggest stretch of the three to make the team, but if Sandin is playing regular NHL minutes and is a top-four NHL defenseman for Toronto by selection time, he may make the team as a bottom-pairing defenseman.