Sweden 2025 World Juniors Roster Led By Axel Sandin Pellikka, Otto Stenberg – FloHockey

Sweden has its team for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship which begins Dec. 26 in Ottawa. Head coach Magnus Hävelid has announced the 24-player roster for the event led by Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka, who will be playing in his third and final World Juniors.

Other returnees from last year’s squad that finished with the silver medal include goalie Melker Thelin (UTA), defensemen Tom Willander (VAN) and Theo Lindstein (STL), and forwards Zeb Forsfjäll (SEA), Otto Stenberg (STL), Felix Unger Sörum (CAR) and Anton Wahlberg (BUF).

The strength of this team will likely be its defense corps led by Sandin Pellikka, who has the most points among all players on Team Sweden in club play this season with 19 points in 23 games for Skellefteå in the SHL. Willander and Lindstein can also log massive minutes, providing two-way value.

Up front, Sweden’s roster is fairly light on proven scorers, but Otto Stenberg had nine points at the last WJC and has often shone brightest when wearing his nation’s colors. AHLers Anton Wahlberg of the Rochester Americans and Felix Unger Sörum of the Chicago Wolves will provide needed experience and have gone through a bit of the pro grind in North America to start this season.

The forward group also includes rising NHL Draft prospect Victor Eklund. The projected first-rounder has 15 points in 20 games in Sweden’s second pro division. He beat out fellow Djugårdens teammate and one-time projected contender for the No. 1 pick in 2025, Anton Frondell, who was left off the World Junior team.

Goaltending could be viewed as another strength of the team. The Swedes have some massive netminders led by Marcus Gidlöf (NYI) who checks in at 6-foot-6 and owns a .915 save percentage in seven SHL appearances this season. Melvin Strahl has been among the top goalies in the USHL this season with the Youngstown phantoms and returnee Melker Thelin has gone 7-1-0 in eight Allsvenskan starts with a .914 save percentage.

Sweden has one available roster spot should they choose to add anyone late. The IIHF is allowing expanded rosters for the first time, with 20 skaters and two goalies allowed to dress, but 22 skaters and three goalies can be registered on the official roster.

Here’s the full roster.

Sweden’s 2025 World Juniors Roster

Forwards

• Dennis Altörn, Leksands IF
• Jack Berglund, Färjestad BK (PHI)
• David Edström, Frölunda (NSH)
• Victor Eklund, Djugårdens IF (2025 NHL Draft)
• Linus Eriksson, Djugårdens IF (FLA)
• Zeb Forsfjäll, Skellefteå AIK (SEA)
• David Granberg, Luleå 
• Isac Hedqvist, Luleå HF
• Felix Nilsson, Rögle BK (NSH)
• Otto Stenberg, IF Malmö Redhawks (STL)
• Herman Träff, HV 71 (NJD)
• Felix Unger Sörum, Chicago Wolves (CAR)
• Oskar Vuollet, Skellefteå AIK (CAR)
• Anton Wahlberg, Rochester Americans (BUF)

Defense

• Rasmus Bergqvist, Skellefteå AIK (MTL)
• Viggo Gustafsson, Timrå IK (NSH)
• Wilhelm Hallquisth, HV 71
• Axel Hurtig, Calgary Hitmen (CGY)
• Axel Sandin Pellikka, Skellefteå AIK (DET)
• Theo Lindstein, Brynäs IF (STL)
• Tom Willander, Boston University (VAN)

Goalies

• Marcus Gidlöf, Leksands (NYI)
• Melvin Strahl, Youngstown Phantoms (CBJ)
• Melker Thelin, IF Björklöven (UTA)

NHL Draft Prospect Anton Frondell Among Sweden Roster Omissions 

Anton Frondell is one of Sweden’s very best 17-year-old hockey players. He has had dominant performances internationally in the last calendar year, but injuries at the end of last season and the start of this one have really knocked the talented center off course.

Frondell’s draft stock has been slipping not just because of the injuries, but because when he has played this season, he hasn’t looked as effective.

He has appeared in seven pro games with Djugårdens and has three points, but has been well under a point per game in the U20 ranks as well with seven points in 10 J20 league games. He has appeared in multiple international events including a U18 Five Nations and the most recent U20 four nations and has managed to produce. But you can understand why Sweden’s staff decided not to bring the promising young player.

Last season, Frondell looked special at the February U18 Five Nations tournament, but soon after got hurt and really hasn’t looked quite the same since. 

Instead of playing at the World Juniors, Frondell will go to the World Junior A Challenge which opens next week in Canada. It will be his second trip to that event after posting seven points in the tournament last season. Though the WJAC is a U19 tournament, Sweden will be bringing its U18 National team instead. Frondell will no-doubt be the most heavily scrutinized player at an event that usually includes over 100 NHL scouts and team personnel. 

Sweden World Juniors Roster Analysis

This Swedish roster doesn’t look like a particularly strong contender for gold when stacked up against the U.S. and Canada’s groups. They do have a strong enough roster to give both of those teams problems, especially with a very talented defensive group and three goalies capable of getting hot and stealing games.

Sweden will have to lean heavily on Sandin Pellikka, Lindstein and Willander. They’re all excellent top-four defensemen with the ability to play in a lot of situations. If Sandin Pellikka finds ways to take games over, Sweden will be more dangerous.

The expectation should be that this team absolutely rolls over their Group B opponents. Czechia appears to be the only team on paper that can hang with them. They’ll also have games against Slovakia, Kazakhstan and Switzerland in the group stage. As a result, they could potentially cruise through to the semifinals where they’d potentially have to face the second place team from Group A which will be either the U.S. or Canada.

Basically, Sweden’s tournament doesn’t really start until the final two games. That can be a good thing as they get into a rhythm, but the lack of adversity I’d expect them to face in the early goings doesn’t always bode well for the medal round, especially not for Sweden which continues to struggle to get over the gold medal hump.

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