Sweden's Tre Kronor ice hockey team arrived in Milano for the 2026 Winter Olympics, announced Gabriel Landeskog as captain with Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson as assistants, and completed its first on-ice session. The group practiced lineups and goalies ahead of Wednesday's opener against Italy, as head coach Sam Hallam emphasized Landeskog's widespread respect.
Tre Kronor touched down in Milano on Sunday morning, February 8, kicking off their campaign at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The team posed for a photo shared by Erik Karlsson before the flight, with all players—including initially absent Rasmus Dahlin, confirmed available—participating in the first joint ice session alongside goaltenders Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt.
The team announced on X that Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog would wear the captain's 'C', ahead of Victor Hedman. Despite years of injuries, including a recent alarming one before the Olympics, Landeskog's leadership shone through. Head coach Sam Hallam stated, “I know that every player here has incredible respect for him,” highlighting his prior club captaincy and role in team unity. Markström called it "Helt fantastiskt," praising Landeskog's resilience: "att han åka på en skada här nu precis innan OS som såg väldigt läskig ut och att han är på isen här idag ett säger mycket om hans karaktär." Gustav Forsling added, "Han är schysst och det märks att han varit kapten i många år."
Hallam arrived early to scout Italy's practice—initially getting lost in a garage, per SVT—and experimented with lines. Forwards: William Nylander centering Adrian Kempe and Joel Eriksson Ek (Hallam: "Startar vi så på onsdag så får han två killar som verkligen är där och kan vinna mycket närkamper men som också har mycket spel i sig"), Elias Pettersson–Mika Zibanejad–Rickard Rakell, Lucas Raymond–Elias Lindholm–Jesper Bratt–Filip Forsberg, and Pontus Holmberg–Alexander Wennberg–Gabriel Landeskog–Marcus Johansson. Defenses: Gustav Forsling–Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman–Rasmus Andersson, Philip Broberg–Erik Karlsson, Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Hampus Lindholm. Karlsson and Hedman trained in different colors, signaling no pairing.
The goalie battle intensifies, with Minnesota Wild's Quinn Hughes noting of Gustavsson and Wallstedt: "De båda har varit otroliga för Wild hela säsongen." Veteran Markström, honoring his late father Anders with a canoe and flag on his mask, acknowledged: "Gus och Walle är två fantastiska målvakter."
The Olympic village evoked junior tournaments. Forsling: "Tillbaka till juniortiden, hockeycups-känsla." Zibanejad called it a "barndomsdröm"; Raymond liked the minimalism. Roommates: Raymond-Dahlin, Zibanejad-Andersson; Markström solo. Hallam reflected on the opening ceremony: "Man blir väldigt, väldigt ödmjuk när man får tåga in med svenska flaggan."
Sweden faces Italy Wednesday evening.
