Nylander brothers invited to Sweden WJC camp

Three forwards that could go in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft were among the 26 players that will attend Sweden's training camp for the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, which starts Dec. 26 in Helsinki, Finland.

Forwards Rasmus Asplund, Carl Grundstrom and Alexander Nylander all earned A ratings from NHL Central Scouting in its November players to watch list.

Asplund, a 5-foot-11, 176-pound center, has three goals and five points in 25 games with Farjestad in the Swedish Hockey League. Grundstrom, a 6-foot, 194-pound right wing, has two goals and seven points in 25 games with Modo in the SHL.

Nylander, a 6-foot, 179-pound center with Mississauga in the Ontario Hockey League, is fourth in the league with 21 goals and sixth with 47 points. He leads OHL rookies in goals, assists (31) and points in 31 games.

Sweden will have two Nylanders at training camp. Alexander's older brother, William Nylander, also was invited. Taken by the Toronto Maple Leafs with the eighth pick of the 2014 NHL Draft and playing with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, Nylander leads the league with 29 points in 22 games, and his 13 goals are tied for third. He had 10 points in seven games for fourth-place Sweden at the 2015 WJC.

William Nylander is one of 12 players from the 2015 tournament team invited to camp. Joining him will be goaltender Linus Soderstrom (New York Islanders); defensemen Sebastian Aho, Andreas Englund (Ottawa Senators), Gustav Forsling (Vancouver Canucks), William Lagesson (Edmonton Oilers); and forwards Christoffer Ehn (Detroit Red Wings), Axel Holmstrom (Detroit Red Wings), Anton Karlsson (Arizona Coyotes), Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings), Oskar Lindblom (Philadelphia Flyers) and Jens Looke (Arizona Coyotes).

Sweden will play in Group A along with the United States, Switzerland, Denmark and Canada. Its first game is Dec. 26 against Switzerland.

SWEDEN WJC CAMP ROSTER

GOALTENDERS: Erik Kallgren, Oskarsham, SWE-2 (Arizona Coyotes); Felix Sandstrom, Brynas, SWE (Philadelphia Flyers); Linus Soderstrom, Vita Hasten, SWE-2 (New York Islanders)

DEFENSEMEN: Sebastian Aho, Skelleftea, SWE (2016 draft eligible); Gabriel Carlsson, Linkoping, SWE (Columbus Blue Jackets); Andreas Englund, Djurgarden, SWE (Ottawa Senators); Gustav Forsling, Linkoping, SWE (Vancouver Canucks); William Lagesson, UMass, HE (Edmonton Oilers); Jacob Larsson, Frolunda, SWE (Anaheim Ducks); Adam Ollas Mattsson, Djurgarden, SWE (Calgary Flames); Marcus Pettersson, Skelleftea, SWE (Anaheim Ducks)

FORWARDS: Rasmus Asplund, Farjestad, SWE (2016 draft eligible); Christoffer Ehn, Karlskoga, SWE-2 (Detroit Red Wings); Joel Eriksson Ek, Farjestad, SWE (Minnesota Wild); Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Boston University, HE (Boston Bruins); Carl Grundstrom, Modo, SWE (2016 draft eligible); Axel Holmstrom, Skelleftea, SWE (Detroit Red Wings); Anton Karlsson, Frolunda, SWE (Arizona Coyotes); Adrian Kempe, Ontario, AHL (Los Angeles Kings); Oskar Lindblom, Brynas, SWE (Philadelphia Flyers); Jens Looke, Brynas, SWE (Arizona Coyotes); Alexander Nylander, Mississauga, OHL (2016 draft eligible); William Nylander, Toronto, AHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Frederik Olofsson, Nebraska-Omaha, NCHC (Chicago Blackhawks); Dmytro Timashov, Quebec, QMJHL (Toronto Maple Leafs); Lukas Vejdemo, Djurgarden, SWE (Montreal Canadiens)