2026 Olympic Women’s Hockey Preview: Sweden
While they might not be in the “top group,” the intrigue surrounding Sweden heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics is high.
The country that has been stuck in Group B in major competitions for the last several years has the potential to break out of a funk that has surrounded the program since the pandemic. Filled with talented players from the pro and college levels, the Swedes are bringing a strong team to Italy, and while everyone is focused on the superpowers of the sport, the Scandinavian country is looking to surprise some people on sport’s grandest stage.
Sweden might not be on many people’s radars to be competing for a medal in Milan, but that doesn’t mean they won’t give it their all.
LOOKING BACK TO 2022
After years of futility, including being relegated to the second tier of the IIHF Women’s World Championship, Sweden struggled in Beijing. They started off with disappointing losses to Japan and Czechia, but managed to rally to beat China and Denmark to finish third in Group B. Sweden’s reward? An 11-0 beatdown at the hands of Canada. The eighth-place finish was Damkronorna’s worst in Olympic history and the team’s second straight quarterfinal exit.
It was a far cry from Sweden’s previous success at the Winter Games. After finishing fifth in 1998, the team won the bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002, before their stunning run to the gold medal game in 2006. The Swedes have reached the semifinals in four of the seven Olympic tournaments, though their last appearance in the final four was in 2014.
OFFENSE
Sweden has loads of scoring threats up and down their forward group, with talent playing both in North America and Europe.
One of the most well-known players on the roster is Lina Ljungblom. One of the leaders of the Swedish national team for many years, she has struggled to be a dominant player on the international stage since her incredible performance at the 2023 Women’s Worlds, but is a solid two-way player. She had a late start to the 2025-26 PWHL season, as she missed the Montreal Victoire’s first eight games due to mono.
The other player currently in the PWHL is Sara Hjalmarsson. It might’ve taken the international veteran three years to be drafted into the league, but she was finally picked up by the Toronto Sceptres this past year. The Bankeryd native hasn’t scored in 15 games this season, but everyone knows how important she can be as a scoring threat when she wears the yellow and blue. The former Linköping HC captain led Sweden with six points in Beijing four years ago, and her five points during Olympic qualifying last season helped the team punch its ticket to Milan.
While the average fan might shrug at the forward group because the team has just two players from the PWHL, there’s a trio of exciting players coming from the NCAA ranks.
The headliner is Hilda Svensson, who has been playing with the senior national team since she was 15. During her debut at the WWC in 2023, she only finished tied on the team with 11 points in seven games. Her development has only grown over the past few years, leading to what has been a dominant freshman season at Ohio State. In 26 games thus far, Svensson has scored 15 goals and 44 points, sitting tied for fifth in the country in scoring.
Josefin Bouveng and Thea Johansson are also being big-time scorers for Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth, respectively. Bouveng has been a solid secondary scorer behind teammate and Team USA forward Abbey Murphy.
With the North American stars, several players in the SDHL are also capable of producing on the international stage. On a strong Brynäs IF squad, Hanna Thuvik has been fantastic, scoring 35 points in 32 games, while Sofie Lundin has been a point-per-game player with Frölunda HC. You also can’t count out Ebba Hedqvist, who finished second at the Women’s Worlds last spring with five goals in seven contests.
DEFENSE
One of the things that hurt Sweden at last year’s Women’s Worlds was the absence of Maja Nylén Persson. The New York Sirens defender suffered a season-ending injury in March, which proved to be detrimental to Sweden last spring, as the team went on to suffer another quarterfinal exit. With Nylén Persson back at a full bill of health, and looking much more confident this season on an improved Sirens squad.
She’s part of an experienced D-corps that includes Anna Kjellbin, who has been playing very well in her role with the Toronto Sceptres. The 31-year-old has expressed a great bit of confidence in her game so far in her second campaign in the PWHL, which has led to better offensive production and defensive play.
Among the notable returners from the 2022 Olympic team, Nylén Persson and Kjellbin will be flanked by veterans Linnea Andersson and Jessica Adolfsson, who have been honing their craft in the SDHL for several years, along with their international duty.
A pair of Buckeyes are hopeful to make an impact in their maiden voyages at the Winter Games. Mira Jungåker’s game has flourished during her time playing for Nadine Muzzerall, while Jenna Raunio has made an immediate impact in her freshman season at Ohio State.
GOALTENDING
Dating back to the Winter Olympics four years ago, Emma Söderberg has been the No. 1 goaltender for Damkronorna. While the team has been outmatched at times, the Örnsköldsvik native has shown she has the ability to steal games, even though she hasn’t been able to do it against the likes of the U.S. or Canada.
There was concern about how fit Söderberg was after a couple of rough seasons with the Boston Fleet, so much so that she was relegated to third string last season. However, the 27-year-old has found her game back home. In 16 games with SDE HF, she has a record of 12-4-0, with a 1.74 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and two shutouts. If her confidence carries into the Olympics, it spells trouble for the rest of Group B and whoever they might face in the quarterfinals.
If Söderberg falters, Sweden has a very viable option in Ebba Svensson Träff. While she has never played at the Women’s Worlds, she has been very good on a subpar Linköping team over the past couple of seasons. This year, the 21-year-old ranks third in the SDHL in SV% (.933) and ninth in GAA (2.22), despite losing 23 of her 32 games.
COACHING
When the Swedish women’s program was in shambles, Ulf Lundberg came in and helped turn things around for the better. He guided the team to qualify for the Beijing Olympics and has been behind the bench for the past four Women’s Worlds. The 46-year-old has reinvigorated the national team and has helped the group slowly start to close the gap with the best teams in the world, a spot Sweden once held a couple of decades ago.
It’s clear that the players believe in him, based on the efforts Damkronorna has given over the last several years. Many hope his work will lead to a respectable result next month in Milan.
BURNING QUESTION
After the group stage, what kind of Sweden do we see?
Sweden has reached the knockout stage in each of the past five major international tournaments, including four years ago in China. However, regardless of the promise the team has shown, they flame out when facing a Group A opponent (even though they lost to Canada in overtime in the 2023 WWC). Even last year, when they won Group B for the first time since 2016, they squandered a chance to beat Finland in the quarters.
There’s no question that the Swedes are good enough to advance to the final eight, but whether or not they stay competitive, let alone win, against one of the superior countries in women’s hockey is up in the air. On paper, they might have the talent to get to the semifinals, but the team’s belief and confidence that it can get the job done is what has hindered them in key moments of elimination games.
PREDICTION
I think, as good as Germany might be this year, I think Sweden has enough firepower to get through the tougher teams in its pool, and finish atop Group B once again. That said, with the fact that they might have to face either Czechia or Finland in the quarters, it’s going to be tough to go beyond that.
That said, if Sweden can just score a couple of goals early and get some excellent goaltending in a losers-goes-home situation, an upset wouldn’t surprise me.
FULL ROSTER
Forwards
Hilda Svensson (Ohio State, USA)
Josefin Bouveng (Minnesota, USA)
Lisa Johansson (SDE HF, SDHL)
Sofie Lundin (Frölunda HC, SDHL)
Sara Hjalmarsson (Toronto Sceptres, PWHL)
Hanna Thuvik (Brynäs IF, SDHL)
Thea Johansson (Minnesota Duluth, USA)
Ebba Hedqvist (MoDo Hockey, SDHL)
Lina Ljungblom (Montreal Victoire, PWHL)
Hanna Olsson (Frölunda HC, SDHL)
Felizia Wikner-Zienkiewicz (Frölunda HC, SDHL)
Mira Hallin (MoDo Hockey, SDHL)
Nicole Hall (Penn State, USA)
Defense
Linnéa Andersson (MoDo Hockey, SDHL)
Mira Jungåker (Ohio State, USA)
Jessica Adolfsson (SDE HF, SDHL)
Maja Nylén Persson (New York Sirens, PWHL)
Ida Karlsson (Minnesota Duluth, USA)
Jenna Raunio (Ohio State, USA)
Anna Kjellbin (Toronto Sceptres, PWHL)
Goaltenders
Ebba Träff Svensson (Linköping HC, SDHL)
Emma Söderberg (SDE HF, SDHL)
Tindra Holm (MoDo Hockey, SDHL)
PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE
- Thursday, Feb. 5: Sweden vs. Germany, 6:10 a.m. ET
- Saturday, Feb. 7: Sweden vs. Italy, 8:40 a.m. ET
- Sunday, Feb. 8: France vs. Sweden, 10:40 a.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 10: Japan vs. Sweden, 6:10 a.m. ET
The quarterfinals will begin on Feb. 13 and conclude the following day. Both semifinals are taking place on Feb. 16. The tournament will wrap up on Feb. 19 with both the gold and bronze medal games.