Canada originally named 15 players to the team it will take to this year’s IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark. On Sunday, after the team played a pre-tournament game in Vienna against Austria, Hockey Canada announced that Sidney Crosby will join the team. As well, a day after his Colorado Avalanche were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, The Athletic reported that Nathan MacKinnon will join the team as well.

The pair previously played together at the 2015 Worlds in Prague, where Canada won gold. That title made Crosby a member of the exclusive Triple Gold Club – membership requires gold medals from the World Championships and the Olympics, as well as a Stanley Cup victory. MacKinnon has two of those and might get a shot at an Olympic gold next year. 

Canada beat Austria 5-1 on Sunday, getting two points each from Will Cuylle, Ryan O’Reilly and Noah Dobson. Dylan Garand stopped 22 of 23 Austrian shots.

With NHL players still being added to the roster, the game against Austria featured a number of junior and European-based players, including Porter Martone, a highly-ranked prospect for this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. Canada’s third goal was scored by Ty Ronning – son of ex-NHLer Cliff Ronning, assisted by Eisbären Berlin teammate and ex-NHLer Zach Boychuk and British-born ex-NHLer Brendan Perlini, who plays in Switzerland. Perlini’s older brother Brett plays regularly for the British national team.

Canada plays another pre-tournament game on Tuesday in Budapest against Hungary. After that, presumably some of the non-NHL Canadians will fly home and the rest of the players will be off to Stockholm, where they will play their first World Championship game on Saturday against Slovenia.

Binnington, Bedard, coach Tourigny react to Canada's bronze-medal lossThe bronze-medal game featured two teams that suffered their first defeats of the tournament in Saturday’s semifinals. Less than 24 hours later, Sweden erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and defeated Canada 4-2.

The roster so far (players denoted with a * are junior European-based players who might be replaced if more NHLers are added):

Goaltenders: Dylan Garand (Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL / NY Rangers), Carter George* (Owen Sound Attack, OHL / Los Angeles Kings).

Defensemen: Noah Dobson (New York Islanders, NHL), Ryker Evans, Brandon Montour (both Seattle Kraken, NHL), Mackenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames, NHL), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers, NHL), Zayne Parekh* (Saginaw Spirit, OHL / Calgary), Harrison Brunicke* (Kamloops Blazers, WHL / Pittsburgh), Nicolas Beaudin* (Kometa Brno, CZE).

Forwards: Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks, NHL), Will Cuylle (New York Rangers, NHL), Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli (both Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL), Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster (both Philadelphia, NHL), Barrett Hayton (Utah HC, NHL), Bo Horvat (NY Islanders, NHL), Ryan O’Reilly (Nashville Predators, NHL), Sidney Crosby (Pittburgh Penguins, NHL), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche, NHL), Porter Martone* (Brampton Steelheads, OHL), Ty Ronning*, Zach Boychuk* (both Eisbären Berlin, DEL), Brendan Perlini* (Lausanne HC, SUI).

Connor Bedard cool under pressureConnor Bedard started the 2024 IIHF World Championship like a house on fire with five goals and an assist in Canada’s first three games. There have been no points since then but, no matter, the Canadians have emerged victorious all three times, and have taken 17 of 18 possible points overall.

Finland lost its first game of the final leg of the 2024-25 Euro Hockey Tour on Thursday night in Brno, Czechia 4-2 to the host Czechs. Finland’s goals were scored by Lenni Hämeenaho of Ässät Pori and defenseman Veli-Matti Vittasmäki of German club Kölner Haie – the latter was a late addition to the roster.

“The guy came on hard, maybe we weren’t quite ready and the game started off a little badly, but we were able to improve as the game progressed,” Hämeenaho said after the game. “Today’s game was tougher and more physical than the (previous exhibition) games against Sweden. I noticed that the level has risen.”

Juuse Saros stopped 30 of 33 shots in the Finnish goal – Jakub Lauko beat him in the third minute of the game and also scored a late goal into the empty net.

Pastrnak Will Play For Czechs In Worlds, But Not This Weekend In Euro Hockey Tour Multiple Czech media outlets reported on Monday that David Pastrňák has finally agreed to play for his home country in this year’s IIHF World Championship. Czech national team GM Jiří Šlégr confirmed the news after the team’s practise.

Finland’s roster currently includes five NHLers, including Saros and Nashville Predators backup goalie Justus Annunen. Also on the team are forwards Joona Koppanen of the Pittburgh Penguins, Juuso Pärssinen of the New York Rangers and Eeli Tolvanen of the Seattle Kraken.

Under previous coach Jukka Jalonen, Finland often relied on European-based players who were familiar with the team’s system ahead of NHLers, but it will be interesting to see if new coach Antti Pennanen decides to add any players who are eliminated from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Report: NHL Teams Interested In Finnish D-Man Valtteri Pulli According to Finnish media outlet MTV, multiple NHL teams are interested in the services of 23-year-old Finnish defenseman Valtteri Pulli, who currently plays in Switzerland for HC Lugano.

Goaltenders: Justus Annunen, Juuse Saros (both Nashville, NHL), Emil Larmi (Växjö Lakers, SWE).

Defensemen: Robin Salo, Lassi Thomson (both Malmö Redhawks, SWE), Atro Leppänen (Sport Vaasa), Tony Sund (IFK Helsinki), Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC Lions, SUI), Valtteri Pulli (HC Lugano, SUI), Rasmus Rissanen (Linköping HC, SWE), Vili Saarijärvi (SCL Tigers, SUI), Mikael Seppälä (HV 71, SWE), Jesse Virtanen (HC Ambri-Piotta, SUI), Veli-Matti Vittasmäki (Kölner Haie, GER).

Forwards: Eemil Erholtz, Lenni Hämeenaho, Jan-Mikael Järvinen (all Ässät Pori), Hannes Björninen, Patrik Puistola (Örebro HK, SWE), Jesse Kiiskinen (HPK Hämeenlinna), Petteri Puhakka (Tappara Tampere), Joona Ikonen (Malmö Redhawks, SWE), Waltteri Merelä (SC Bern, SUI), Joona Koppanen (Pittsburgh, NHL), Juho Lammikko (ZSC Lions, SUI), Ahti Oksanen (Lausanne HC, SUI), Juuso Pärssinen (New York Rangers, NHL), Harri Pesonen (SCL Tigers, SUI), Mikael Ruohomaa (Frölunda HC, SWE), Tommi Tikka (HV 71, SWE), Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle, NHL).

11 NHLers On Swedish Roster At Last Pre-Worlds Tourney The NHL contingent on the Swedish national team has now risen to 11 as the team approaches its last tune-up before the IIHF World Championship, and that’s the Czech Hockey Games this weekend – the final leg of the 2024-25 Euro Hockey Tour.

The NHL contingent on the Swedish national team has now risen to 11 as the team approaches its last tune-up before the IIHF World Championship, and that’s the Czech Hockey Games this weekend – the final leg of the 2024-25 Euro Hockey Tour.

In addition to those who played in the NHL this season, the roster this weekend also includes Boston University defenseman Tom Willander, a Vancouver Canucks prospect. It does not include Filip Hållander of Timrå IK, who has been in the team’s camp and recently signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Find the roster below.

“A lot of work remains before the World Championship premiere on May 9 in Stockholm,” said coach Sam Hallam. “Now we are looking forward to having the opportunity to hone our game and come together as a group. It will also be inspiring to work together with (assistant coach) Anders Sörensen and some new players.”

The Swedes play on Thursday night against Switzerland in the Zurich suburb of Kloten, conveniently where the airport is located. The team then flies to Brno, Czechia to face the Czechs on Saturday and Finland on Sunday before heading home to start the Worlds next Friday.

Pastrnak Will Play For Czechs In Worlds, But Not This Weekend In Euro Hockey Tour Multiple Czech media outlets reported on Monday that David Pastrňák has finally agreed to play for his home country in this year’s IIHF World Championship. Czech national team GM Jiří Šlégr confirmed the news after the team’s practise.

Goaltenders: Samuel Ersson (Philadelphia Flyers, NHL), Arvid Söderblom (Chicago Blackhawks, NHL), Arvid Holm (Rögle BK).

Defensemen: Rasmus Andersson (Calgary Flames, NHL), Tom Willander (Boston University, NCAA), Adam Larsson (Seattle Kraken, NHL), Gabriel Carlsson (EV Zug, SUI), Marcus Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks, NHL), Tim Heed (HC Ambri-Piotta, SUI), Andreas Borgman (HC Fribourg-Gottéron, SUI), Simon Edvinsson (Detroit Red Wings, NHL).

Forwards: Alexander Wennberg, William Eklund (both San Jose Sharks, NHL), Anton Bengtsson, Felix Nilsson (both Rögle BK, SWE), Isac Lundeström, Leo Carlsson (both Anaheim Ducks, NHL), Max Friberg (Frölunda HC, SWE), Marcus Sörensen (HC Fribourg-Gottéron, SUI), André Petersson (HV 71, SWE), Christoffer Ehn (Linköping HC, SWE), Oscar Lindberg (Skellefteå AIK, SWE), Oskar Steen (Färjestad BK, SWE), Sebastian Hartmann (Timrå IK, SWE), Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers, NHL).

 

USA Names First 18 Players To World Championship Roster USA Hockey has named the first 18 players to its roster at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which runs from May 9 to 25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning Denmark. The USA plays in Group B in Herning.

Multiple Czech media outlets reported on Monday that David Pastrňák has finally agreed to play for his home country in this year’s IIHF World Championship. Czech national team GM Jiří Šlégr confirmed the news after the team’s practise.

“I spoke with David today before practise and his final decision is positive for all of us,” said Šlégr. “He decided to participate in the World Championship, which we are all very happy about.”

It was previously confirmed that the Boston Bruins had medically cleared Pastrňák to play, and many had interpreted that as confirmation that he would. However, the player himself had not committed until now.

https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/no-gudas-kubalik-or-tomasek-for-czechs-at-this-years-worlds-but-what-about-pastrnak

Šlégr was also asked about Calgary Flames winger Adam Klapka, who became available when the Calgary Wranglers were eliminated from the AHL playoffs.

“We are in communication,” Šlégr said about Klapka. “On the way here, I communicated with the Calgary general manager and we are negotiating.”

Adam Klapka: “I knew deep down that I would play in the NHL one day”At 6-foot-8 and 236 pounds, Adam Klapka is a hard guy to miss. But the Czech winger managed to fly under the radar for much of his amateur career and even in his early years as a pro. He never played in the U18 Worlds or the World Juniors, was never drafted by an NHL team and at age 21, split the season between the Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga and HC Benátky nad Jizerou of the tier-two Chance Liga.

The final leg of the 2024-25 Euro Hockey Tour will be played this weekend, Thursday through Sunday, in Brno, Czechia. This leg of the tour, which is almost always hosted by the Czechs, is used by the four teams as a final tune-up for the World Championship. It is generally the only part of the tour that includes any NHL players. Here is the lineup that the Czechs will take:

Goaltenders: Daniel Vladař (Calgary, NHL), Karel Vejmelka (Utah HC, NHL), Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Prague).

Defensemen: Filip Pyrochta (BK Mladá Boleslav), Jan Košťálek (HC Vítkovice Ridera), Jiří Ticháček (Kladno Knights), Tomáš Kundrátek (HC Oceláři Třinec), Radek Kučeřík (Ässät Pori, Finland), Michal Kempný, Jakub Krejčík (both HC Sparta Praha), David Špaček (Iowa Wild, AHL), Filip Hronek (Vancouver Canucks, NHL), Daniel Gazda (Ilves Tampere, Finland).

Forwards: Jiří Černoch, Ondřej Beránek (both HC Energie Karlovy Vary), Petr Kodýtek (IFK Helsinki, Finland), Radan Lenc (HV 71, Sweden), Michal Kovařčík (Kärpät Oulu, Finland), Ondřej Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec), Daniel Voženílek (EV Zug, Switzerland), Kristian Reichel (Adler Mannheim, Germany), Matěj Stránský, Filip Zadina (both HC Davos), Michael Špaček, Filip Chlapík, Pavel Kousal (all HC Sparta Praha), Kevin Klíma (Mountfield HK), Jakub Lauko (Boston, NHL).

Team Staff

General Manager: Jiří Šlégr, Manager: Milan Hnilička, Head Coach: Radim Rulík, Assistant Coaches: Marek Židlický, Jiří Kalous, Tomáš Plekanec, Goaltending Coach: Ondřej Pavelec.

Karel Vejmelka & Filip Hronek To Play For Czechs In World Championship; Pastrnak Maybe Goaltender Karel Vejmelka of Utah HC and defenseman Filip Hronek of the Vancouver Canucks will play for Czechia at this year’s IIHF World Championship in Herning, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden, according multiple media sources.

USA Hockey has named the first 18 players to its roster at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, which runs from May 9 to 25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning Denmark. The USA plays in Group B in Herning.

The team so far includes 17 players from NHL teams that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs and one – goaltender Hampton Slukynsky – from Western Michigan University.

Three players have been named from each the Boston Bruins and Utah HC, two each from the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks and one from the Buffalo Sabres.

Unlike past seasons, no current AHL players have been chosen and only one – Chicago’s Frank Nazar – spent any time in the league this season. The USA might start the tournament with this roster but more players will likely be named as teams start getting eliminated from the playoffs.

The head coach of the team is Ryan Warsofsky from the San Jose Sharks. His assistants are Kevin Dean, Adam Nightingale and Mike Vellucci. The team’s director of hockey operations is former NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck.

Five Swedish NHLers (So Far) Say Yes To World Championship At Home Five players have so far confirmed their spots on the Swedish roster for this year’s IIHF World Championship, which the Swedes will co-host with Denmark at the newly-renovated Avicii Arena in Stockholm.

While the USA has not won a standalone World Championship since 1933, this roster includes many players that have had success at the World Junior and U-18 World levels.

Goaltenders (3): Joey Daccord (Seattle, NHL), Jeremy Swayman (Boston, NHL), Hampton Slukynsky (Western Michigan University, NCAA).

Defensemen (6): Michael Kesselring (Utah, NHL), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim, NHL), Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei (both Boston, NHL), Brady Skjei (Nashville, NHL), Alex Vlasic (Chicago, NHL).

Forwards (9): Matty Beniers (Seattle, NHL), Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley (both Utah, NHL), Drew O’Connor, Conor Garland (both Vancouver, NHL), Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim, NHL), Michael McCarron (Nashville, NHL), Frank Nazar (Chicago, NHL), Tage Thompson (Buffalo, NHL).

Brady Tkachuk: "I don't think anyone can get under my skin"In the third game for each team, Slovakia built up a 4-1 lead after two periods but the USA stormed back with three straight in the third to force overtime. Miloš Kelemen, who had opened the scoring in the fourth minute, ended it in overtime to claim two points for Slovakia. However, the late comeback allowed the Americans to get one. They now have four points after three games but have the group’s toughest opponents now seemingly out of the way.

Czech hall-of-fame goaltender Dominik Hašek has never been one to hide his opinions and has been relentless over the past few years in his condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and those who support it – explicitly or implicitly – and influential Russian politicians have apparently taken notice.

Not surprisingly, he was heavily critical of Alexander Ovechkin and the NHL’s promotion of him in the lead-up to his breaking Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL goal record, tweeting on April 5 – the day before Ovechkin broke the record – that the NHL “bears enormous responsibility for the hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of people killed and maimed in the Russian war in Ukraine.”

According to Czech media, former Russian president and prime minister and Dmitri Medvedev, who is currently deputy chairman to the Russian security council, lashed out at Hašek in the aftermath of Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal in a social media post that Hašek has interpreted as a death threat.

“895 – the result of a great Russian player,” Medvedev reportedly posted on Telegram, adding: “P.S. We are waiting for the suicide of the crazy Czech Hašek.”

“Yes, I read that,” Hašek told Zdeněk Janda of iSport.cz when asked about Medvedev’s post. “This person is clearly publicly threatening me with murder.”

Hašek went on to criticize the Czech government and several other national and international organizations for failing to respond, and said that he planned to write a letter to the Czech Ministry of the Interior.

Dominik Hašek condemns Paris Olympics over participation of Russian athletesThe Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics take place on Friday in Paris. There will be no Russian or Belarusian athletes in the parade of nations and their respective National Olympic Committees have been banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war. However, 32 athletes from those countries will participate without flags in various sports during these Olympic Games as “Individual Neutral Athletes.”

“In essence, they are sending a message to the criminal Russian regime that Russia can continue making similar threats against citizens of other countries without the slightest problem,” he said.

In the past, Hašek has used the occasions of former Detroit Red Wings teammate Pavel Datsyuk’s hall-of-fame induction, the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and a pair of NHL regular-season games in Prague featuring the Buffalo Sabres to publicly express his opinions.

Hašek said that, despite his history of rattling feathers with his public comments, this is the first time that he’s felt personally threatened in response.

“No, I have never received them before – this was the first,” he said. “On the contrary, I feel a lot of support from both (Czech) people and people from other countries. It is mutual and I appreciate it very much.”

Dominik Hašek Again Speaks Out On X: Every NHL Goal, Assist, Save, Hit An “Advertisement For The Atrocities That The Russians Commit In The War!”On the eve of the start of the 2023-24 season between the New Jersey Devils and the team he spent the most significant part of his hall-of-fame career, the Buffalo Sabres, former goaltender Dominik Hašek made it clear that he won’t be in Prague – about an hour away from his hometown of Pardubice.

Two years ago, Anton Lundmark was playing in a semi-professional regional league in the third tier of Swedish hockey. This season, at age 23, he made his SHL debut with Timrå IK, where he scored five goals, had four assists and zero (!) penalty minutes in 53 regular-season and playoff games.

And yet, somehow, the Florida Panthers were impressed with what they saw and signed the 6-foot-4, 192-pound winger to a one-year entry-level contract, which will take effect next season. The news left many scratching their heads and asking, “Who?”

The offer even caught Lundmark off guard, according to Finnish media outlet MTV Uutiset.

“I spoke to him (on the day of the announcement), and you could say that he was shocked himself,” said Timrå GM Kimmo Kapanen. “He didn’t really understand what had happened.”

However, Kapanen seemed less surprised and was quick to praise Lundmark.

“He has worked incredibly hard and has earned this opportunity,” Kapanen added. “He has all the necessary tools.”

Oliver Kapanen On Leaving Habs: “It Feels Good To Return” To TimråOn Wednesday, the Montreal Canadiens announced that 21-year-old Finnish center Oliver Kapenen was being loaned to Timrå IK, the SHL club that he signed with in May. Kapanen already went to the Swedish team’s training camp in August and played pre-season games in September before the Canadiens’ camp. 

The Panthers are no-doubt impressed by Lundmark’s work ethic and possibly see him eventually using his size to carve out a role as a fourth-line winger. Zero penalty minutes in 53 games for a player in that role is a bit surprising, though.

“Anton is a robust forward who has elevated his game rising through the professional hockey ranks in Sweden,” Florida GM Bill Zito is quoted in the NHL club’s announcement. “We look forward to his continued development in our organization.”

Timrå, which was coached this season by Finnish ex-NHLer Olli Jokinen, finished sixth in the 14-team SHL before being eliminated by Frölunda HC in the quarterfinals.

In addition to Lundmark, the team is expecting to lose its leading scorer, 24-year-old Filip Hållander, to the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer. Oliver Kapanen, the son of the club’s sports manager, played most of the season in Timrå on loan from the Montreal Canadiens and will probably be gone next season as well.

Report: Filip Hallander Headed Back To NHL Next SeasonSwedish center and left winger Filip Hållander is headed back to the NHL next season, according to Swedish media outlet Exprssen.

Swedish goaltender Arvid Holm, 26, is expected sign with the Detroit Red Wings this off-season, according to a tweet from Cam Robinson, Content Director and Director of Film Scouting for EliteProspects.com.

Playing for Rögle BK in the SHL this past season, the 6-foot-5 Holm posted a 1.90 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and four shutouts while playing in 35 of his team’s 52 regular-season games and was awarded the Honken Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. In the 14-team league, Rögle was tied for the fifth-best goals against total but was ranked 12th in goals scored.

Rögle finished seventh in the regular season before losing two straight games to the 10th-place Malmö Redhawks in a play-in series by scores of 2-1 in overtime and 3-0.

Holm still has another two years remaining on his contract with Rögle but European contracts commonly contain escape clauses should the player receive an NHL offer.

Originally from Ljungby, Sweden, Holm played for the Ljungby-Troja, Karlskrona and Färjestad clubs and was a sixth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Holm played three seasons in North America from 2021 to 2024 in the Winnipeg and Colorado Avalanche systems, playing in pre-season games and serving as the backup for both teams in a handful of NHL games, but didn’t earn any NHL regular-season minutes. In 71 AHL games, Holm had a goals-against average of 2.80, a save percentage of 2.80 and two shutouts.

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.

Erik Brännström has played in North America since 2018 but multiple Swedish media sources are reporting that he will return to Europe next season.

HockeyNews.se is reporting that the 25-year-old Swedish defenseman is most likely headed to Switzerland, where he would sign a long-term deal – a scoop attributed to an Expressen.se article behind a paywall.

The website further notes that Genève-Servette and HC Lugano are two teams in Switzerland’s National League who have room to add imports to their rosters. Both teams that have generally not been afraid to pay well for talent, particularly Genève, although both teams also struggled and missed the playoffs this past season.

Lugano Dismisses Coach Krupp And Several Noteworthy Players Just days after the team saved its position in Switzerland’s National League by defeating HC Ajoie in a playout series, HC Lugano parted ways with head coach Uwe Krupp and several notable players, including goaltender Adam Húska, defenseman Valtteri Pulli, and forwards Mark Arcobello, Daniel Carr, Radim Zohorna and Aleksi Peltonen.

Originally from Eksjö, Sweden, Brännström played junior hockey and turned pro with HV71 in nearby Jönköping.

Brännström was a first-round pick, 17th overall, by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and was moved to the Ottawa Senators in a 2019 multi-player deal that saw Vegas acquire Mark Stone.

From 2019 to 2024, Brännström’s career was fairly stable – mostly playing in the NHL for Ottawa with occasional assignments to the Belleville Senators, the team’s nearby AHL farm team.

However, this season has been quite chaotic for the diminutive, puck-moving defenseman. He signed as a free-agent with the Colorado Avalanche in the summer but was traded to the Vancouver Canucks before the season began. After playing 28 games in Vancouver, he was dealt to the New York Rangers as part of the J.T. Miller trade in late January and then traded again to the Buffalo Sabres just prior to the trade deadline. He has not played an NHL game for either of the latter two teams.

Overall, Brännström has 77 points and 162 penalty minutes in 294 NHL regular-season games.

If he signs in Switzerland, it will be Brännström’s second tour of duty there, although the first one only lasted 10 games with the SCL Tigers in the autumn of 2020 while the start of the NHL season was delayed by pandemic-related restrictions.

Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL’s Top Defenseman Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.

Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.

In 2019, he was picked 11th overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes but, just five years later, he signed a two-year deal to play with his hometown team, Brynäs Gävle, which has just been promoted back to the SHL. He went on to have a spectacular season, recording 37 points in 49 regular-season games as Brynäs surprisingly finished first.

“I definitely don’t regret a thing,” Söderström is quoted on the club’s website. “It’s a slightly different path to take because I’m still young and my goal is still very much to make it in the NHL.”

That might happen next season as Söderström, now 24, was traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL trade deadline, and he indicated at the time that he had been seeking to get his NHL rights moved.

Victor Soderstrom Might Return To NHL After Rights Traded To Chicago: ‘We’ve Been Trying To Arrange It All Season’ Victor Söderström didn’t want to give up on the NHL so early, but it seems that he didn’t see a path to that dream running through Salt Lake City. Playing this season for Brynäs IF in the SHL, he learned on Friday – the NHL trade deadline – that his NHL rights had been traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks along with the rights to Shea Weber – who hasn’t played since 2021 and is essentially retired – in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.

But first things first, as Brynäs has a semifinal series coming up against Skellefteå AIK starting on Friday. Skellefteå’s lineup includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jonathan Pudas, the two previous winners of the award.

“I love coming to the rink every day,” Söderström continued. “The fact that the pairing with Charles-Édouard D’Astous has worked so well has of course also meant a lot.”

D’Astous, a 26-year-old Canadian who was the top defenseman in the Finnish Liiga last season, outscored Söderström by two points this year and has also apparently drawn interest from NHL teams.

According to the Brynäs website the jury for the award described Soderstrom as:

An elegant player on the ice who has been one of the biggest contributors to newcomer Bynäs' record-breaking season in the SHL. Extremely skilled, and also a top-notch point-scorer as a defenseman. Has formed the league's best defenseman pair during the season with Charles-Édouard D’Astous.

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The award for best defenseman in Sweden’s top league was named after Börje Salming in 2008, the same year the legendary defenseman was named to the IIHF’s All-Century Team. Salming died in 2022 from complications related to ALS.

Börje’s older brother Stig Salming was present when Söderström received the Salming Trophy. Both Salming brothers were also Brynäs defensemen.

“Börje would have liked this,” Stig Salming was quoted.

Previous winners of the Salming Trophy

2024-25 Victor Söderström, Brynäs
2023-24 Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Skellefteå
2022-23 Jonathan Pudas, Skellefteå
2021-22 Maja Nylén-Persson, Brynäs
2020-21 Nils Lundkvist, Luleå
2019-20 No winner due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2018-19 Erik Gustafsson, Luleå
2017-18 Lawrence Pilut, HV71
2016-17 Henrik Tömmernes, Frölunda
2015-16 Niclas Burström, Skellefteå
2014-15 Tim Heed, Skellefteå
2013-14 Patrik Hersley, Leksand
2012-13 Magnus Nygren, Färjestad
2011-12 Mattias Ekholm, Brynäs
2010-11 David Rundblad, Skellefteå
2009-10 Magnus Johansson, Linköping
2008-09 Markus Ragnarsson, Djurgården
2007-08 Mikko Luoma, HV71

Jari Kurri – 2024 Börje Salming Courage Award Winner – Is A Controversial Figure In His Home ClubOn Saturday afternoon in Tampere, hours before the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers played the second of two NHL regular-season games in the Finnish city, the NHL Alumni Association made Finnish hockey icon Jari Kurri the second recipient of the Börje Salming Courage Award.