Sweden, Finland announce men’s hockey rosters for 2026 Olympics: Snubs, surprises and expectations
When Sweden and Finland unveiled their men’s hockey rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics, they didn’t do it on New Year’s Eve. That was Canada.
They didn’t announce them on the “Today” show, either. That was the United States, on Friday.
So, yes, there was less fanfare surrounding the rosters for the top non-North American contenders at the Olympics (Feb. 6-22). That doesn’t mean there’s less to discuss.
Sweden
Roster
Snubs
Sweden’s defensive group might be on par with what we’ll see from Canada and the U.S., which necessitated some tough decisions. It was surprising, in some ways, not to see Mattias Ekholm on the roster, given that he has spent the better part of a decade as a top-pair staple for the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators. Ekholm is 35 years old, though, with some heavy mileage, and while his game has rounded into shape a bit lately, his first two months of this season were ugly.
Hampus Lindholm of the Boston Bruins also failed to make the cut, another bit of tough news for a player who seemed like a lock for the 4 Nations Face-Off roster before breaking his kneecap on a blocked shot. That ended his 2024-25 season, and he’s since gotten off to a slow start. At his best, he’s a versatile, two-way defenseman who can play on the left side of a first pair.
This season, though, neither has come close to Simon Edvinsson’s impact. The 22-year-old isn’t just playing first-pair minutes for the Detroit Red Wings — he’s crushing them. When Edvinsson and Moritz Seider are on the ice together, Detroit is outscoring opponents 29-18 with an expected goal share of more than 60 percent.
Given the quality of the competition Edvinsson and Seider face nightly, that’s remarkable. Seider has long been viewed as a potential Norris Trophy candidate, and this season, he fully looks the part. Edvinsson deserves plenty of credit for that. His absence borders on egregious.
Among the forwards, Emil Heineman should’ve gotten some consideration. He has 12 goals for the New York Islanders this season, mainly from his time on a line with Bo Horvat, but is capable of playing up and down a lineup.
Marcus Johansson of the Minnesota Wild has more points than any other player left off the roster (32 in 39 games), but he’s 35. The most deserving player left off the roster, though, might be William Eklund, who’s scoring at a 23-goal, 60-point pace for the San Jose Sharks. If a winger is injured, he should be Sweden’s first call.
Surprises
Sweden’s decision to roster defenseman Philip Broberg came at the expense of Edvinsson, Ekholm and Lindholm. You could argue for any of the four, especially given that they’re all left shots. Ekholm and Lindholm are proven commodities; Broberg and Edvinsson are playing at a higher level right now and are bigger parts of Sweden’s international future. Either way, no Swedish decision will be second-guessed more frequently.
Pontus Holmberg’s inclusion as a bottom-six forward is a bit of a head-scratcher, too, but he was part of Sweden’s Olympic team at the NHL-player-less 2022 Olympics in Beijing. It’s easy to imagine how that scored him some points with Sweden’s management team, and it’s tough to knock them for it. Holmberg has shown a ton of defensive value for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season.
It’s interesting, but not surprising, to see both Wild goaltenders make the roster. Filip Gustavsson is a legit 1A starter and was part of Sweden’s 4 Nations roster, and Jesper Wallstedt (11-2-3 with four shutouts, .928 save percentage) has been incredible in his first protracted NHL action. He likely replaced Linus Ullmark, who is currently on a personal leave of absence from the Ottawa Senators.
Expectations
Sweden is unquestionably the best non-North American team, and they should be treated as a real threat to win gold on their own merits. Their defensive group might be the best in the tournament, and the emergence of Leo Carlsson as an elite first-line center over the last few months fixes the roster’s most significant long-term issue. He’s scoring a point per game as a 21-year-old and generally has the look of a future Hart Trophy candidate.
There are tons of scoring talent on the wings, too. William Nylander, Lucas Raymond and Adrian Kempe are all 80-point-capable scorers, at minimum. If one of the goaltenders heats up — and that was an issue for them at the 4 Nations — look out. Anything less than a bronze medal would be a disappointment, and anything more would not be a surprise.
Team Sweden Ratings 📊📈 pic.twitter.com/OjF6KvtXUH
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) January 2, 2026
Schedule
vs. Italy: Wed., Feb. 11, 3:10 p.m. (ET)
vs. Finland: Fri., Feb. 13, 6:10 a.m. (ET)
vs. Slovakia: Sat., Feb. 14, 6:10 a.m. (ET)
Finland
Roster
Snubs
The obvious name here is Jesperi Kotkaniemi, though the decision shouldn’t surprise anyone, given that Kotkaniemi was left off the 4 Nations roster as well. The 25-year-old forward for the Carolina Hurricanes, who was once expected to anchor a middle-six center spot on a contending team, has seen his game plateau and then dip over the last few years.
This season, he has struggled through injuries and overall ineffectiveness, splitting time between left wing and center on Carolina’s fourth line. Kotkaniemi has six points in 24 games and the worst Net Rating among Carolina’s forwards.
Mattias Maccelli, a 57-point scorer with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24, might’ve deserved a spot more than Kotkaniemi. His first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs has been disappointing, but Maccelli has heated up recently (five points in his last five games) and would make sense as a middle-six option. Is his omission glaring? Nope.
A few young forwards, such as Vancouver’s Aatu Räty and Pittsburgh’s Ville Koivunen, could’ve earned spots on the roster but have had uneven seasons thus far.
Patrik Laine, a seven-time 20-goal scorer with the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens, doesn’t qualify as a snub. He had core muscle surgery in late September and isn’t available. The same goes for Oilers winger Kasperi Kapanen, who has played in just six games this season due to at least two separate injuries.
Urho Vaakanainen is the only Finnish defenseman to have appeared in an NHL game this season and didn’t make the final Olympic roster. The 27-year-old’s ice time with the New York Rangers has dropped dramatically of late — he was active just three times in December — but that’s still a tough break. Vaakanainen, the No. 18 draft pick in 2017, was part of the Rangers’ return from the Anaheim Ducks in last season’s Jacob Trouba trade.
Surprises
Vaakanainen’s spot was likely taken by Mikko Lehtonen, 31, who is currently with Zurich in the Swiss A-league. Lehtonen has played for Finland in the last two Olympics and helped them win gold at Beijing in 2022, recording four points in six games. That adds a layer of logic to the decision, but Lehtonen is still certain to be the only non-NHL player in the mix among the top four teams. He played in 26 NHL games in 2020-21, splitting time between the Blue Jackets and the Maple Leafs.
It’s not shocking that Oliver Kapanen made the final roster — the 22-year-old center has been terrific for the Canadiens, scoring 12 goals in his first 40 games — but he could wind up being a key player for Finland in Milan, and that’s not something that anyone should’ve anticipated a few months ago.
Expectations
The Finns have legit NHL stars at every position (Mikko Rantanen at wing, Sebastian Aho and Roope Hintz at center, Miro Heiskanen on defense) and a deep group of forwards. Still, there’s a glaring hole at the top of the lineup that puts them a step or three behind Canada, the U.S. and Sweden.
When Aleksander Barkov tore his ACL and MCL in training camp, it was terrible news for two teams. The Florida Panthers have tread water without the best two-way center in the league, and there’s a chance he could return to the lineup if the two-time defending champs make another long playoff run.
Finland doesn’t have any similar reason for optimism. A gold medal, with Barkov in the mix, was at least conceivable. As it stands, barring some goaltending wizardry from Juuse Saros, returning to the medal stand would count as a win. They’ll start in Group B with Sweden, Slovakia and Italy.
Team Finland Ratings 📊📈 pic.twitter.com/bkQeyWMOXO
— dom 📈 (@domluszczyszyn) January 2, 2026
Schedule
vs. Slovakia: Wed., Feb. 11, 10:40 a.m. (ET)
vs. Sweden: Fri., Feb. 13, 6:10 a.m. (ET)
vs. Italy: Sat., Feb. 14, 10:40 a.m. (ET)
Correction: An earlier version of the Finnish national team roster graphic in this story included several errors. Gustav Forsling plays for Sweden, not Finland; Olli Määttä plays left defense; Henri Jokiharju plays right defense.
