Detroit's Lucas Raymond among six players named to Sweden's National team for the 2026 Milan–Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
At just 23, Raymond has solidified himself as the one of the faces of a new generation for Sweden, after recording a career-best 27 goals and 53 assists for 80 points this past season. Mid-season coverage applauded his playmaking prowess, noting he led Detroit’s power play with 28 points by late February.
Internationally, Raymond has already begun making waves. Playing in the recent Four Nations Face-Off for Sweden in February, he recorded three assists in as many games. These international performances, paired with his NHL breakout, present Sweden with a dynamic winger who can tilt the ice in their favor.
In previous stints with the national team, Raymond has proven to be a leader with 11 goals and 17 games for 28 points in as many games across the last three years at the IIHF World Championships.
Joining Raymond as announced selections are Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin, Gabriel Landeskog, Adrian Kempe and William Nylander. Sweden is entrusting this blend of youth, defensive stability, veteran leadership and finishing finesse to represent Tre Kronor next winter.
At the Winter Games in 2014 at Sochi, Sweden captured silver in a tournament that helped lift their overall medal haul to 15, their all-time best at the Winter Games.
Four years later in PyeongChang 2018, despite a strong 7‑6‑1 medal tally, the men’s ice hockey team crashed out in the quarterfinals, settling for fifth place. Their subsequent outing in Beijing 2022 ended in a heartbreaking fourth-place finish, losing the bronze medal match after overtime and shootout battles.
Only Sochi's tournament featured NHL talent and will make Milan–Cortina's tournament one to remember as we will get to see an extended showing of international best-on-best hockey that we only got a taste of this past February at Four Nations.
