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WC: 2023 Sweden Roster Talk

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Berggren was cut 2 times from WC just before the tournament started, and yet, once again, he comes. Kid has heart.
 
Eye of Ra said:
We had so much better players before in Europe. We could with a euro team only even challenge for medals in WC. Times have surely changed.

For example, this is what a best possible team with only euro league players could look like in 2007:

Peter Nordström - Jörgen Jönsson - Mikael Renberg
Fredrik Bremberg - Johan Davidsson - Patric Hörnqvist
Niklas Andersson - Nicklas Bäckström - Mika Hannula
Jonathan Hedström - Niklas Sundström - Christian Berglund

Tobias Enström - Magnus Johansson
Anton Strålman - Thomas Rhodin
Ronnie Sundin - Johan Åkerman
Mattias Timander - Dick Tärnström

Erik Ersberg
Johan Backlund
Daniel Henriksson

Now compare this with what we have today in Europe. Massive difference in quality. Only goalies would be worse.
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Yes, both Jönsson and Davidsson could pass as top line centres in the WC back then. Our centre depth is the main weakness for our national team. Just look at our centers the last couple of world cups:

2021:
Andreas Wingerli
Adrian Kempe (did not work as a center)
Isac Lundeström
Pär Lindholm

2022:
Lucas Wallmark
Joel Kellman
Jacob Peterson
Nils Åman

This year?
Leo Carlsson
Oscar Lindberg
Pär Lindholm
Dennis Rasmussen
Jacob de la Rose

The years before that, it was covered up by having legit NHL centers. I'd say as a country we have pool of about 6 players who can be legit top centers in this tournament:

Elias Pettersson
Mika Zibanejad
Nicklas Bäckström
Elias Lindholm
William Karlsson
Alexander Wennberg

Then we have Mikael Backlund and Joel Eriksson Ek, who are legit NHL centers, but maybe not suitable as top line centers on a team.

If we don't get any of them, we are starved for offensive minded centermen. No center in Europe is good enough
 
weklof said:
Yes, both Jönsson and Davidsson could pass as top line centres in the WC back then. Our centre depth is the main weakness for our national team. Just look at our centers the last couple of world cups:

2021:
Andreas Wingerli
Adrian Kempe (did not work as a center)
Isac Lundeström
Pär Lindholm

2022:
Lucas Wallmark
Joel Kellman
Jacob Peterson
Nils Åman

This year?
Leo Carlsson
Oscar Lindberg
Pär Lindholm
Dennis Rasmussen
Jacob de la Rose

The years before that, it was covered up by having legit NHL centers. I'd say as a country we have pool of about 6 players who can be legit top centers in this tournament:

Elias Pettersson
Mika Zibanejad
Nicklas Bäckström
Elias Lindholm
William Karlsson
Alexander Wennberg

Then we have Mikael Backlund and Joel Eriksson Ek, who are legit NHL centers, but maybe not suitable as top line centers on a team.

If we don't get any of them, we are starved for offensive minded centermen. No center in Europe is good enough
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IMO Joel Eriksson Ek is a better player and center than every player you mentioned not named Mika or Elias however he is not offensive minded. Still managed to get over 60 points though.

Would not mind Åman as a fourth center again.
 
EK47 said:
IMO Joel Eriksson Ek is a better player and center than every player you mentioned not named Mika or Elias however he is not offensive minded. Still managed to get over 60 points though.

Would not mind Åman as a fourth center again.
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Lindholm, JEE, & Karlsson are really even, idk if I would have any above the others at this pount in time. The latter two even suffer from time to time due to being too good defensively. They're all a level above Wennberg, & Bäckström.
 
www.svd.se

Spelade med brutet ben – höll i 19 sekunder

Minnesotas svenske center Joel Eriksson Eks NHL-slutspel varade i 19 sekunder. 26-åringen försökte spela med ett brutet vänsterben. – Jag kunde åka skridskor några dagar innan, jag mådde bra. Sedan i det första bytet, ja, då höll det inte, säger Eriksson Ek.
www.svd.se www.svd.se

Eriksson Ek tried to play with a broken leg! He has now had an operation. So we can discount him for sure
 
weklof said:
www.svd.se

Spelade med brutet ben – höll i 19 sekunder

Minnesotas svenske center Joel Eriksson Eks NHL-slutspel varade i 19 sekunder. 26-åringen försökte spela med ett brutet vänsterben. – Jag kunde åka skridskor några dagar innan, jag mådde bra. Sedan i det första bytet, ja, då höll det inte, säger Eriksson Ek.
www.svd.se www.svd.se

Eriksson Ek tried to play with a broken leg! He has now had an operation. So we can discount him for sure
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This was obvious. Not exactly what the injury was, but the injury was obvious.

theslatcher said:
Lindholm, JEE, & Karlsson are really even, idk if I would have any above the others at this pount in time. The latter two even suffer from time to time due to being too good defensively. They're all a level above Wennberg, & Bäckström.
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I would probably rank the swedish centers
Pettersson

Zibanejad

Lindholm
JEE

Karlsson
Backlund

Wennberg/Bäckström

Yeah thought about it and changed my mind, Lindholm has a better trackrecord. So have to go with him over JEE. Backlund is really underrated IMO extremely solid two way center. Was probably better overall this season than Lindholm.
 
EK47 said:
This was obvious. Not exactly what the injury was, but the injury was obvious.


I would probably rank the swedish centers
Pettersson

Zibanejad

Lindholm
JEE

Karlsson
Backlund

Wennberg/Bäckström

Yeah thought about it and changed my mind, Lindholm has a better trackrecord. So have to go with him over JEE. Backlund is really underrated IMO extremely solid two way center. Was probably better overall this season than Lindholm.
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Backlund was great yes but you're underrating Karlsson for some reason, because he had a down year last year?

All four actually have near identical 5v5 production this season. The difference in production comes on the PP.

JEE's numbers there get inflated from playing with Kaprizov, and Karlsson's deflated from Vegas' atrocious PP. Lindholm's about right, and Backlund is overall having himself a late career year.
 
theslatcher said:
Backlund was great yes but you're underrating Karlsson for some reason, because he had a down year last year?

All four actually have near identical 5v5 production this season. The difference in production comes on the PP.

JEE's numbers there get inflated from playing with Kaprizov, and Karlsson's deflated from Vegas' atrocious PP. Lindholm's about right, and Backlund is overall having himself a late career year.
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Backlund has more or less had the same average throughout his career apart from 21/22 which was significantly worse.
 
If we get a medal with this team of any sort, then Hallam should get a statue. A small one that looks up towards the big one he might get later. The big one will either be a bigger verion of himself or a boot that is about to crush the small one, if he suck in the future.
 
ZEBROA said:
If we get a medal with this team of any sort, then Hallam should get a statue. A small one that looks up towards the big one he might get later. The big one will either be a bigger verion of himself or a boot that is about to crush the small one, if he suck in the future.
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It's not just Sweden that are getting declines. All teams look pretty weak right now, thus Sweden grabbing a medal wouldn't exactly be earth shattering.
 
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Elvs said:
It's not just Sweden that are getting declines. All teams look pretty weak right now, thus Sweden grabbing a medal wouldn't exactly be earth shattering.
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I love international tournament and watch this every year. But it seems like it is getting more watered down for every year. So many declines for all countries. IIHF needs to do something to increase popularity. Maybe it is to put in September before the season starts or have it less often, but something needs to be done. I so want a best-on-best tournament regurarly
 
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weklof said:
I love international tournament and watch this every year. But it seems like it is getting more watered down for every year. So many declines for all countries. IIHF needs to do something to increase popularity. Maybe it is to put in September before the season starts or have it less often, but something needs to be done. I so want a best-on-best tournament regurarly
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Its unrealistic to expect this to change as long as the NHL has this kind of monopoly on all the best players. Hockey in europe is producing more talent than ever but at the same time becoming more dependent on North america it is a dire strait that we need to get out of.
 
EK47 said:
Its unrealistic to expect this to change as long as the NHL has this kind of monopoly on all the best players. Hockey in europe is producing more talent than ever but at the same time becoming more dependent on North america it is a dire strait that we need to get out of.
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I think some of the problem is that in western Europe are small countries like Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland. These countries will never be able to challenge North America economically. I think hockey has to become a large sport in the big European economies like Germany, France and Great Britain.
 
weklof said:
I think some of the problem is that in western Europe are small countries like Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Slovakia, Switzerland. These countries will never be able to challenge North America economically. I think hockey has to become a large sport in the big European economies like Germany, France and Great Britain.
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Yes, we need Germany on board, maybe also Italy, France, UK and Poland in future

And yes we need to step aside from focus on national champs, either NHL Europe or proper Champions League
 
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Garl said:
Yes, we need Germany on board, maybe also Italy, France, UK and Poland in future
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Germany would be fine, not France historically they always delve into the same kind of protectionism.

We are also making a mistake if we think it needs to be as strong, it doesn’t the US economy is too big. It just needs to be strong enough for the NHL to realize there is actual high quality competition outside of its control.
 
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Hockeyfrilla said:
Jesper Wallstedt & Nemeth added
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I had completely written wallstedt off because I didn’t think he’d bring anything. I’m gonna go ahead and assume that means a fat no from Ullmark.

Anybody know how Nemeth has been this season? I’m assuming pretty bad since Arizona was eliminated after the regular season and he’s being announced now, so he can’t have been Hallams first hand choice?

Also lol expressens headline for this. Calling Wallstedt an NHL player. He hasn’t played a single NHL game. He’s de facto an AHL player.
 
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Wallstedt is better than Jacob Johansson. So its a uppgrade.

Nemeth is a player type we need. Aktell, Folin and A.Lindholm are not good enough.
 
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