Anton Frondell and Victor Eklund will not play for Sweden at the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association tweeted on Monday.
According to HockeyNews.se, both players have a busy summer with NHL development camps and Djurgården’s professional summer training camp. The pair of 18-year-olds were part of the team that helped Djurgården ascend from the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan to the top-tier SHL, and the move up is seen as a big step in their development.
Frondell was drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and Eklund went 16th to the New York Islanders. Both have already signed entry-level NHL contracts and both have been loaned back to Djurgården for the upcoming season.
That leaves 16 drafted players on the 25-man roster – scroll down for the complete list.
The roster includes a pair of 17-year-olds who are consensus top-10 picks in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft: Ivar Stenberg, a late-2007-born player, and 2008-born Viggo Björck. Due to his birth year, Björck is still U-18 eligible but his inclusion on this roster likely means he will not play for Sweden at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. That would be consistent with how the Swedes have prioritized the U-20 Showcase over the U-18 summer tournament in the past.
The World Junior Summer Showcase runs from July 27 to Aug. 2 in Minneapolis, Minn. It features the junior national teams of Sweden and Finland and two teams each of Canadian and U.S. players. It is generally used as an evaluation tournament for the IIHF World Junior Championship, which this year will also be in the state of Minnesota from Dec. 26, 2025, to Jan. 5, 2026.
Goaltenders: Herman Liv, Örebro HK; Carl Axelsson, Sioux Falls Stampede USHL; Love Härenstam, Skellefteå AIK – St. Louis Blues.
Defensemen: Felix Öhrqvist, Linköping HC; Leo Sahlin Wallenius, Växjö Lakers – San Jose Sharks; Sascha Boumedienne, Boston University NCAA – Winnipeg Jets; Victor Johansson, Leksands IF – Toronto Maple Leafs; Alfons Freij, IF Björklöven – Winnipeg Jets; Carl-Otto Magnusson, Frölunda HC; Viggo Gustafsson, HV71 – Nashville Predators; Gabriel Eliasson, Barrie Colts OHL – Ottawa Senators.
Forwards: Lucas Pettersson, MoDo Hockey – Anaheim Ducks; Melvin Fernström, Örebro HK – Pittsburgh Penguins; Linus Eriksson, Timrå IK – Florida Panthers; Ivar Stenberg, Frölunda HC; Viggo Nordlund, Skellefteå AIK – Carolina Hurricanes; Eric Nilson, Djurgårdens IF – Anaheim Ducks; Jack Berglund, Färjestad BK – Philadelphia Flyers; Wilson Björck, Djurgårdens IF – Vancouver Canucks; Valter Lindberg, Skellefteå AIK; Liam Danielsson, Örebro HK; Alexander Zetterberg, Minnesota State University NCAA; Viggo Björck, Djurgårdens IF; Filip Ekberg, Ottawa 67’s OHL – Carolina Hurricanes; Eddie Genborg, Linköping HC – Detroit Red Wings.
Photo © David Reginek-Imagn Images: Coach Magnus Hävelid oversees the Swedish bench at last year's World Junior Summer Showcase.