The invites:
Notable omission:
2014 top prospect William Nylander, son of former NHLer Michael Nylander was not included on the selection roster, which comes as a bit of a surprise. However it’s worth noting that Sweden is bringing a relatively strong squad, and that Nyland would have possibly been relegated to a checking role if he was invited. He’ll definitely be on the team next year.
Habs angle:
Sebastian Collberg, as well as recent second round pick Jacob de la Rose are on the list, and are considered by many to be locks for the team.
Collberg has been fantastic in previous WJC tournaments, producing 8 goals and 5 assists in 12 games played over two seperate tournaments. This is a perfect chance to see Collberg play against opposition of his age, and despite his rather tumultuous start with Frolunda, he’s expected to play a key roll in Sweden’s gold medal charge. Expect him to play in the top 6 and challenge for the team lead in points.
Jacob De La Rose has also participated in this tournament, although he had a limited role last year playing 6 games and being held pointless. As it stands Jacob will most likely play in a checking role and face the opposition’s best lines. As it stands de la Rose currently has 7 points in 25 GP in the SHL.
