Swedish coach happy with preparations for WJC

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg said Oscar Dansk, who has missed the past two games since being hit in the head by a shot in practice Monday, will start in goal in the team's final game of the national junior evaluation camp Saturday against Finland.

Gronborg also said forward Oskar Sundqvist, who sustained an injured neck when he collided with a metal stanchion at the end of the team's bench during a game against the United States earlier in the week, will play Saturday.

"It's always nice for Dansk to play a game," Gronborg told NHL.com. "He hasn't played since [Sunday]. It'll be nice to see him in the net. And Sundqvist is a big part of our second power play, so it'll be nice to have him back."

Gronborg said he's hoping to see how his players bounce back after losing 7-3 to Canada on Thursday.

"We need to rebound," he said. "The puck control [Thursday], Canada did a good job being on the right side of the puck. Our transition game needs to be quicker. I think we need to move the puck quite a bit. We can't lose as many pucks as we did in the neutral zone, can't choke up the puck in the middle like we did in the third period."

Overall, however, Gronborg said he's been happy with what he's seen from his players during their stay here.

"It's evaluation camp more than anything else and see where we're at with the players," he said. "Unfortunately we've got players that are not here that we'd like to have here because of injuries and other stuff [but] other guys have stepped up in their spots and are fighting for spots on the team."

Among those missing this week have been forwards Filip Forsberg and Elias Lindholm, along with defenseman Hampus Lindholm. All three have the chance to play in the NHL this season, so it's unlikely any or all of them will be available for the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship. In addition, forward Sebastian Collberg twisted his right knee Tuesday and sat out the final three games. Gronborg said Collberg's injury isn't serious, and that the Montreal Canadiens prospect should be back in action in about a week.

"We have a foundation of 11 players that played in the [WJC] last year," he said. "That's a good foundation. Forsberg and Lindholm, we're probably not going to have for the [WJC], and Hampus Lindholm, we probably won't get him either. If those players are available they'd be a bonus, but we don't count on them. Of those 11, there's eight guys we should have with experience from the [WJC]. And that's a nice foundation to have."

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