Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the 2019 IIHF world junior championship’s Pool B at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre is that Sweden is off to a 2-0 start even without eligible players Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and injured Toronto Maple Leafs first-round draft pick Timothy Liljegren on the roster.
“Buffalo was not in the mood,” chuckled Swedish head coach Tomas Monten, about blue-liner Dahlin, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NHL draft.
Obviously, neither were the Canucks willing to part with NHL rookie sensation Pettersson, who with Dahlin and Liljegren led Sweden to the silver medal at last year’s world juniors.
“It would have been nice to have them, but obviously, we don’t,” said Monten, following the 5-2 victory over Slovakia (0-2) on Thursday.
Displaying Sweden’s depth, Philip Broberg was called up to replace Liljegren after the Toronto Marlies AHL blue-liner went down just before the world junior tournament. Many have Broberg projected as a possible lottery pick and the first defenceman off the board in the 2019 NHL draft at Vancouver in June.
“I don’t think about that too much,” said Broberg.
“I just take each practice and game as they come.”
Monten said “nothing spooks” Broberg.
Broberg joined a Swedish blue line minus Dahlin and Liljegren but which features Adam Boqvist, selected eight overall in the first round of the 2018 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, and Maple Leafs prospects Pontus Holmberg and Rasmus Sandin from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.
“Our defence has good puck movers,” said Monten.
“And we have 13 forward who work hard to create space for each other.”
The victory over Slovakia was Sweden’s 46th consecutive in pool play at the world juniors dating to 2006. But since Sweden has won only one gold medal, and five silver medals, in that span, it’s a remarkable record nobody on the Swedish team wants to own.
Pool play is important for qualifying and seeding for the playoffs round, but it’s in the latter where reputations are made.
“We don’t discuss it [46-game pool-round winning streak],” said Monten.
“Someday it is going to end, I promise you that. The only people who want to discuss it are [the media]. Our players don’t care.”
Swedish forward Isac Lundestrom, who was loaned by the Anaheim Ducks from their AHL farm team in San Diego to play in the world juniors, concurred.
“It [streak] doesn’t matter. We just go out and try to play the best every game,” said Lundestrom.
Fellow-Swedish forward Emil Bemstrom agreed.
“[The streak] doesn’t matter to us. We just think one game at a time,” said the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect.
And that next game for Sweden is a big one Saturday on Blanshard against the U.S. (1-0).
The Swedes believe they will have the crowd’s support in that game.
“I don’t think Canadians are such big fans of the U.S. hockey,” said Lundestrom.
Meanwhile, it was clear who had the crowd support in Thursday’s late Pool B game at the Memorial Centre. But it wasn’t enough to stop heavily-favoured Finland (1-1) from beating upstart Kazakhstan, making its first appearance in the world juniors in 10 years, by a 5-0 count.
The lone Pool B game tonight at the Memorial Centre is at 7:30 with the U.S. playing Kazakhstan.
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