Team Sweden names its first three players for the 2022 Olympic tournament

With the 2022 Winter Olympics fast approaching, countries have started to name their first three players assigned to their men's hockey teams as they go fof gold. On Sunday, Team Canada announced Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Alex Pietrangelo were guaranteed to make the team, provided they stay healthy. Now, it's Sweden's turn.

The first player Team Sweden has chosen is Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman. This should come as no surprise at all. Hedman is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a Conn Smythe winner and a recipient of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman. There's a very good chance Hedman will captain the team, but we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out for sure.

Next up is Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers. The former sixth overall pick took some time to reach his full potential, but has dominated over the last three seasons. Zibanejad has won gold with Sweden twice, once at the World Junior Championships (2012) and also at the World Hockey Championships (2018).

Rounding out Sweden's first three picks is Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog is the current captain of the Colorado Avalanche and a second overall pick of the team in 2012. He's won gold with Sweden twice at the World Championships (2013. 2017).

Sweden has not won a gold medal in hockey at the Olympics since 2006 in Turin when Mats Sundin served as captain. It also had a disappointing 5th place finish at the 2018 Olympic games, although NHLers did not participate that year. 2022 could be very different, as Sweden will have a stacked roster from top to bottom filled with NHL stars and well-known names.

Source: Aftonbladet.se

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