The 2025 World Junior Championship begins on December 26th in Ottawa, Ontario. Team Sweden is looking to put up a fight, as they’ve selected nine players for their roster that helped the team to take home silver in last year’s competition. As Sweden prepares to take on Slovakia on Boxing Day, keep an eye on these five players who are set to stun on the ice.
Axel Sandin Pellikka (D)
Defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka is not only a top Swedish player to watch, but he enters the World Juniors as one of the top defensemen in the tournament. Sandin Pellikka is a returning player for Team Sweden and helped the team to their silver medal with two goals and six points in seven games.
This year, he will be wearing the “C” for his country and has tallied 22 points in 25 games on his home soil with Skelleftea AIK of the SHL. Axel Sandin Pellikka was drafted 17th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2023. His strengths revolve around his speedy and slick skating, high hockey IQ, and offensive instincts. He will be a huge factor in Sweden’s success.
Victor Eklund (F)
Unlike Sandin Pellikka, Victor Eklund is currently undrafted but a top prospect eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 2025. He is projected to go as high as sixth overall due to his solid campaigns on both the international stage and with Djurgardens.
Victor is the brother of San Jose Sharks forward William Eklund, so hockey truly is in his blood. Last season he had 27 points in 26 games internationally, and this season with HockeyAllsvenskan’s Djurgardens, he has tallied 15 points in 24 games. He has powerful shots and keen puck-handling skills. Though he is young, he is likely to put up a fight against Sweden’s opponents, even those two to three years older than him.
Tom Willander (D)
Team Sweden’s defence gets even stronger with the addition of Tom Willander. The Vancouver Canucks’ prospect was drafted 11th overall in 2023 and has been playing with the Boston University Terriers for two seasons, where he has made a name for himself as their top defender with nine points (2G, 7A) across 16 games.
He is another veteran of the World Juniors, notching three points in seven games in 2024. He is a playmaker who creates chances off the rush with speed and has an accurate and stellar pass. Having Sandin Pellika and Willander on the blue line will make Team Sweden’s defence one of the toughest to play in this tournament.
Felix Unger Sorem (F)
Felix Unger Sorem is one of the more seasoned players on Team Sweden, as he already has a handful of AHL games with the Chicago Wolves, was named to the World Championship roster, and is also returning to the World Juniors from last year’s team.
Though he is a forward, his strength is in his defence and special teams skills. He is steady and reliable and helped Sweden take home a bronze medal in the World Championship and pocketed six points in seven games in last year’s World Juniors. He is hungry for a gold medal to add to his international accolades and will be a big key to Sweden’s game this year.
Melker Thelin (G)
The Swedes have previously been weaker in their goaltender depth at the World Junior Championship, but all of that has changed this season. They enter the tournament with two goalies fighting for the starting spot- Melker Thelin and Marcus Gidlof.
Melker Thelin was last year’s tournament backup goalie and is 9-2 (.908 SV%) this season with Bjorkloven of Hockeyallvenskan and was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes (Utah Hockey Club) in 2023. He stands at six-foot-two, giving him a clear size advantage in the net. Along with Sweden’s elite defensive units, a strong goalie tandem will be another key factor in their chase for gold in this year’s championship.
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